Back on Wednesday of last week, our
group grew six people stronger and I am amazed at how much of a positive impact
this has done for our group. I genuinely like each and every member of our
crew. I am not taking anything away from anyone. Lance is still has that goofy
immaturity that is incredibly entertaining. We have mother and father figures
in Sharon and Fred. We have the older aunt-like figures in Janet. Our crew was
not really lacking for anything that I could see.
But yet this infusion of new blood has
seemed to revitalize everyone. The conversations around the dinner table are a
little livelier. Spirits are higher. Seeing the interactions of a true married
couple in Brian and Kelly are a wonderful reminder of that nuclear family unit.
Nicki has seamlessly integrated with Lance and sweatpants group. They bond by
discussing workout routines. I think if given enough time, Kimber might have
solved the Israel/Palestine thing. I’ve never seen a person get along so well
with anyone and everyone.
And Kilo has been a wonderful
distraction for Alex. He has spoiled him with every toy and trinket from off of
the dog food aisle. Alex and Kilo must have spent hours playing fetch with the
bouncy balls from the pet section and they take turns chasing each other around
the store. To hear Alex’s laughter as he interacts with this incredible animal
is something I thought that I might not hear again.
Don’t get me wrong. We watch a lot of
comedies. Dumb & Dumber was one
of the first movies pulled off the shelf for movie night as a group. And we all
laughed like fools even though a lot of us could have recited the movie line
for line. “Big Gulps, huh? Well, see you later.” But I feared that it was
induced laughter.
Is that even a medical term? I mean,
no matter how depressed you are, how can you not set aside the world for two
hours while you watch a comedy? You just forget about the world and laugh at
the antics on the screen. That is the joy of movies.
But then you think about the world outside.
Is there even room for laughter in that world anymore? I guess the
philosophical answer would be, if there isn’t room for laughter then what the
hell are we all fighting for? Is there room for spontaneous laughter?
I believe there is. I hope there is.
Much the same as we all have embraced this new group of survivors, I think that
laughter and humanity are still there. We may just have to dig a little deeper
to uncover it…
And so the ultimate question is: Are
there other survivors out there?
