Lynn Slaughter

My husband with our granddaughter Edie

My oldest sister once gave me her honest opinion of my personal blogs: “No one wants to read about how much you love your husband.”

If so, STOP READING! NOW!

This blog is about one of the things I love most about my husband. He’s hilarious. Even on my worst days, he can make me laugh. He finds the humor in everyday life, his own foibles, and mine. I once excitedly told him that after writing an article for a parenting magazine about the importance of humor in family life, I’d been invited to do a workshop on humor for a church group. “But honey,” he said, “did you explain to them that you’re not funny?”

Truth be told, my husband is the funny one (although I have my moments), and I’m not alone in thinking this is a big part of what makes a guy irresistible. One of my favorite quotes comes from Joanne Woodward, who said:

“Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married

to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that’s a real treat.”

And it is. As I write this, I’m about to have some fairly major spinal surgery. We’re both anxious, and our quotient of snarky remarks to one another, especially on my part, shoots way up. My husband manages to defuse things by announcing in a totally deadpan manner, “I’m just glad we’re not tense.”

As I think about my life, I realize one of the smartest things I ever did was to marry a funny man. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that he’s also incredibly giving and thoughtful.

If I could offer any advice to folks in search of an ideal partner, I would recommend holding out for the one who makes you laugh, especially when things don’t go as planned. Let’s face it. Nobody lives life without experiencing some tough times. And for those, humor heals, defuses, and provides perspective.

Besides, it feels good to laugh. After forty years with a funny man, I wake up every day and look forward to what he’s going to come out with next!