By John Elman, J.D., CLU

With all the daily ups, downs and distractions of our career, you can lighten your load by concentrating on finding more laughs every day. And I don't mean watching your email for jokes from your brother-in-law.

Finding laughter involves thinking and seeing everyday matters a little differently—or better yet, a little out of focus. Play "what's wrong with this picture?" all day long. If nothing is wrong, make it wrong—in your imagination. Then laugh at it.

Suppose you are driving to an appointment. Ever wonder what the person in the next car is thinking? Imagine what you see at any moment as a snapshot and write a caption for it as if it were a cartoon. I write little captions in small imaginary balloons above people's heads as a comic strip would. Try it.

Humor in ink
One of my favorite places to look for laughs every day is the newspaper, especially if it is from a different community or is different from the paper I usually read. Think about this lead that I read recently: Arthur Samuels, retired local jewelry store owner, was found early Tuesday at his home slumped in front of his open safe with his hands tied behind him and a gun shot through the back of his head.

What do you suppose the next sentence read? Police suspect foul play. Suspect foul play? Suspect? What other possibilities were there? What does Arthur have to do to get a little respect?

Here's another: Stanford Cops Searching for Fondler. When I saw this, I wondered how many vacancies they have. Apparently good fondlers are hard to find.

FOR SALE: An antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers.

Laughs guaranteed
Read your local police log. I guarantee you will get a laugh. My favorites are the suspicious circumstances category or disturbance items. Sometimes you need to imagine a word added or placed in the sentence differently, but these items are usually funny "as is." Check these out.

Suspicious circumstances: 4100 block on Webster. Man seen hiding behind tree, 10:30 a.m. Seen? Hiding? How dangerous could he be if he was such an ineffective hider?

Disturbance: A woman who said her husband was unhappy, had a bad temper and drank too much left their residence on Jefferson Avenue about 2:15 a.m. Friday with nothing on under her brown coat. How did they know? Will there be details to follow?

Want ads
I have collected ads over the years and have found some in an old book from the '30s. They were not too different from recent ads. Usually, there is a problem with a comma or a period, or a misplaced modifier, which makes all the difference.

Wanted: A strong horse to do the work of a country minister.

Lost: Pink satin slip on Peach St. between Jeffrey and James.

Wanted: A boy to take care of horses who can speak German.

Sign on a Chicago loft: Wanted: Woman to sew buttons on the fourth floor.

Sheer stockings designed for dressy wear but so serviceable that many women wear nothing else.

Here are some contemporary ads.

For sale: An antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers.

Wanted: Fifty girls for stripping machine operators in factory.

Tired of cleaning yourself? Let me do it.

Dog for sale: Eats anything and is fond of children.

My pet peeves
Wouldn't you like to spend about a minute and a half in a phone booth with the inventor of those loose subscription cards that are hidden in magazines? And I suggest we all practice our drum banging on the head of the inventor of "push 6, push 3, push 7… Please stay on the line… Your call is important to us… Meanwhile push 9, push 2."

Important to us? Amusing, maybe, but certainly we aren't important to them.

Dancing lobsters
Keep watching for signs, especially on the windows of coffee shops and restaurants. Many of these signs have unwarranted pride in their meatloaf. Others announce what their steaks and lobsters are doing. Some are dancing nightly.

Remember, look for the laughs! They're all around you.

John Elman, J.D., CLU, a senior agent with Northwestern Mutual, has studied laughter as a lifelong hobby. His address: 2600 El Camino Real, #318, Palo Alto, CA 94306.

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