Twenty-six of the greatest lessons I was ever taught.

This is a chapter from The ABCs of Dan M. Wilson.

When I was asked a few years back to name my favorite sound I thought about it for all of half a second before ratting off my answer. More than anything I love the sound of a baby laughing.

I never got a chance to ask Grandpa Dan the same question but I would bet everything that I have that his answer would’ve been the same thing. He wouldn’t have limited his to just the sounds of a baby, though. That man loved to make everyone laugh…and he did so for the better part of seven decades.

Laughter, as we all know, is infectious. Typically when one person starts to laugh, another person will shortly follow suit. Possessing the ability to make an entire group laugh takes a certain knack – and keeping up that laughter is the mark of a truly gifted comic. Grandpa Dan was a truly gifted comic.

Whenever he and Grandma Pat would be out and about, people just seemed to be mesmerized by these two. It was always a treat to watch someone approach the table to say “hello” to them as I knew that this meant it was showtime for Dad.

Grandma Pat would smile and make conversation but the stage belonged almost entirely to Grandpa Dan. While on it, he’d light up and do his thing. The fun part about watching him was that it never felt like a canned routine. Dad’s conversations were like Johnny Carson’s, the super smooth and hilarious talk show host that could get anyone to talk about anything…and laugh while doing so.

After an outing to the local Pizza Hut in Excelsior Springs in which he made a waitress who had spilled the drinks laugh so hard she nearly spilled the refills, I asked Dad what his secret was to making everyone that came up to talk to him – from people he’d known for 20 years to people he’d only known for 20 seconds – enjoy it so much.

“Just like Donald O’Connor said, ‘make ‘em laugh’.”

And boy, did he.

As you’ve heard me tell you a million times over, Sunday afternoons were reserved for Dad and me to watch movies together on TV. It was here that I began my serious study of the great comedians. So enamored was I with those gifted men and women that could bring down the house that I found myself analyzing – rather than simply enjoying – their routines.

Just like Donald O’Connor said, ‘make ‘em laugh’

Now I know that I showed you the scene from “Singing in the Rain” where Donald O’Connor put on what is easily one of the most classic four minutes in cinematic history, but I doubt you remember it all that well. O’Connor, as Gene Kelly’s sidekick Cosmo Brown, sings and deftly performs a song entitled “Make ‘em Laugh”. Grandpa Dan absolutely loved this movie mainly due to this song. It embodies so much about who he was and is easy to see when viewing it.

Through the years I learned the ins and outs of making others chuckle. I also discovered that laughter is much more than just a response to something we find humorous. Far more. Laughter can calm people down and simultaneously let them blow off steam. It can make people fall in love, believe it or not. It can create some of the most memorable moments you’ll ever know. My personal favorite of them all is that laughter can make you convulse to the point where tears fill your eyes, you cannot breathe, and your sides ache.

When I was growing up and found myself dreaming of my dream woman, I noticed that her looks changed from time to time but two things did not. Firstly, she would give me random kisses “just because.” Secondly, and most importantly, she would be the person that could make me laugh harder than anyone I’d ever known. Now I’ve been involved with a number of women through the years but none of them ever fit the bill on that second aspect.

Ironically, I had to create the person that could do that for me. Alex, I couldn’t even count the number of times that you and I have gotten to laughing so hard that I’ve had to forcibly try to start breathing again. From our inside jokes to the moments that only you and I would find humor in (do I even have to bring up the kid in the crowd after the Dallas Maverick’s basketball game that we saw on TV?), no one has ever made me laugh as hard as I laugh when I’m with you. No one.

Now I’m not a religious person at all, nor do I give much credence to the concept of Heaven and people looking down from On High at us but if there is I have a feeling that Grandpa Dan would be tickled, too. He taught both of us, one way or another, how to bring smiles and laughter to those whose paths we cross. Because of this talent, you and I will never have a lack of friends.

Use your gift on a daily basis. You have no idea how much joy you can bring into the world by simply making others laugh…even your old man here.