Surprise
Surprise is the spice of life. The expected is bland.
When humor lacks surprise, it falls flat. When speech is predictable, it is boring. Novels without twists and turns do not hold the reader’s interest.
On the other hand, “The secret to humor is surprise” (Aristotle). The greater the surprise, the greater the humor. The unexpected phrase gives a speech life. The unforeseen turn of events in a novel motivates the reader to keep turning the pages.
Without something being different, there would be no surprise. When was the last time you saw a different-looking stop sign? They are always
the same shape and the same color. Of course, with stop signs consistency is a good thing, but the point is, with a stop sign, there is nothing different. So there are no surprises.
Something uniquely different can be a delightful surprise. Santa Monica, where I live, has the most unique streetlights I have ever seen. At the
top of the pole is a short arm. At the end of the arm is an upside down-looking dish. Below the dish, a light shines up toward the dish. The dish diffuses the light. When I first saw those streetlights, I was surprised. It was a surprise, simply because they were so different from every other streetlight I have ever seen.
Season life with little surprises. Use humor. It does not have to be a joke.
Erma Bombeck said, “Humor is a spontaneous, wonderful bit of an outburst that just comes. It’s unbridled, it’s unplanned, it’s full of surprises.”
Spice up your speech with little surprises. Be creative. Say it differently. Jesus did. To religious hypocrites, He said, “Blind guides, who strain out a
gnat and swallow a camel” (Mt. 23:24). Concerning a rich man, Jesus told the disciples, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”(Mk. 10:25). That is like saying today, “It is easier to drive an 18-wheeler through a class ring than it is for a rich man to get to heaven.
In trying to find a shortcut, I once took a route I had never used before. In the process, my wife saw store she thought she would like to visit someday. She remembered the store, but forgot the location.
Later, I took that short cut again. Sure enough, we passed the same store. My wife screamed, “Stop!” Being the obedient husband that I am, I did. Besides, I was so startled, I instinctively hit the brakes. As we entered the store, she announced to the salesman on the floor, “I saw you once, and I have been looking for you ever since!” Without a moment’s hesitation, he responded, “That is what my parole officer said to me.”
I’m not sure what we’re expecting him to say, but that was not it. It sure was a surprise!
© G. Michael Cocoris, December 3, 2011
When humor lacks surprise, it falls flat. When speech is predictable, it is boring. Novels without twists and turns do not hold the reader’s interest.
On the other hand, “The secret to humor is surprise” (Aristotle). The greater the surprise, the greater the humor. The unexpected phrase gives a speech life. The unforeseen turn of events in a novel motivates the reader to keep turning the pages.
Without something being different, there would be no surprise. When was the last time you saw a different-looking stop sign? They are always
the same shape and the same color. Of course, with stop signs consistency is a good thing, but the point is, with a stop sign, there is nothing different. So there are no surprises.
Something uniquely different can be a delightful surprise. Santa Monica, where I live, has the most unique streetlights I have ever seen. At the
top of the pole is a short arm. At the end of the arm is an upside down-looking dish. Below the dish, a light shines up toward the dish. The dish diffuses the light. When I first saw those streetlights, I was surprised. It was a surprise, simply because they were so different from every other streetlight I have ever seen.
Season life with little surprises. Use humor. It does not have to be a joke.
Erma Bombeck said, “Humor is a spontaneous, wonderful bit of an outburst that just comes. It’s unbridled, it’s unplanned, it’s full of surprises.”
Spice up your speech with little surprises. Be creative. Say it differently. Jesus did. To religious hypocrites, He said, “Blind guides, who strain out a
gnat and swallow a camel” (Mt. 23:24). Concerning a rich man, Jesus told the disciples, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”(Mk. 10:25). That is like saying today, “It is easier to drive an 18-wheeler through a class ring than it is for a rich man to get to heaven.
In trying to find a shortcut, I once took a route I had never used before. In the process, my wife saw store she thought she would like to visit someday. She remembered the store, but forgot the location.
Later, I took that short cut again. Sure enough, we passed the same store. My wife screamed, “Stop!” Being the obedient husband that I am, I did. Besides, I was so startled, I instinctively hit the brakes. As we entered the store, she announced to the salesman on the floor, “I saw you once, and I have been looking for you ever since!” Without a moment’s hesitation, he responded, “That is what my parole officer said to me.”
I’m not sure what we’re expecting him to say, but that was not it. It sure was a surprise!
© G. Michael Cocoris, December 3, 2011
