Laughter. Medicine. You know the rest.

I was sitting in a café, eating a fantastic piece of Torte, sipping a great cup of coffee after church on Sunday, chatting it up with a hilarious new friend, when I realized that, amidst the frolic of fast-paced banter between us, there was some resistance within me. More and more, Christoph and I are beginning to build a new life for us here. But, this new life resembles in no way the one that I had in Pforzheim, and, most pointedly, it resembles in no way the sedentary, often hopeless, and solitary existence that I led in the Fall and Winter of ought seven. Within in me exists, still, a sort of resistance to this new, fabulous life which is presented on a silver platter before me. It’s kind of weird. As I was sitting with my new friend Alex, I had to consciously let go of this resistance, and “go with the flow” of conversation—fast, witty conversation in my own language. It was a struggle to keep up with the tempo of the repartee; I felt myself an Eeyore in Tigger’s world. But, I let go little by little and all was well. Alex is a conductor who gigs all over the world. He wants me to come over this week and sing something. (Note to self: not be such a bad person to know professionally.) For sure, though, he will be a great person to now privately, but only when my sides want of some splitting per laughter.

Yesterday was a night out at a comedy club. A friend had given us the tickets as a house warming, and both Chris and I were skeptical (not of the friend, but of the club.) Skeptical of German comedy, you ask? So silly of us. We always say that one of the thinnest books in the world is called “Good English Cooking.” Well, there is only one book in the world thinner, entitled “German Humor.” It’s not really true of course (except for the prejudice that English food sucks, because that is SO true.) The club was a nice outing, and the comedians were all professional and quite funny. I was surprised, too, that I didn’t have “language issues”. I know it may sound silly to you guys in the Sates, but I can be proud of myself that a went to a stand-up comedy performance and understood about 90% of it all.