A story I read about a man with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) brought back a great memory for me.
A few years ago, I was spending a lonely New Year’s Eve on a cross-country train. The moon was full and it illuminated the countryside. At every rail crossing, I’d get a peek into the small towns and medium-sized cities we passed through. The Christmas lights were still gaily lit, and it all made me feel like I was the last person standing on the planet.
I sat in the dining car with my cross-word puzzle book, trying not to think of my far-away friends and family, but I wasn’t getting much past 3. Across. That’s when a stranger approached and asked if he could sit down at my table. Sure. Why not? He was from Scotland, and was also on his own that night. We made some small talk, and suddenly out of the blue, he asked if I’d like to hear a joke, to which I said, “Of course. Fire away!”
I never could have predicted what happened next. This man with the Scottish lilt to his voice proceeded throughout the next half hour to tell me one of the funniest jokes I’ve heard in my life. In fact, it still ranks among the top three. As the train skimmed the steel rails, he wound the details around a story that took unexpected left turns just when I thought I’d figured it out. The story kept getting sillier and sillier, until I was engulfed in laughter. When he finally got to the punch line, I thought I was going to need an oxygen tank and an ambulance I was laughing so hard.
Laughter is very healing. One man actually treated his ankylosing spondylitis with laughter and was able to achieve a remarkable reduction in pain.
I clearly remember the rest of my trip, because every time I thought of the joke, I’d crack up. I no longer felt alone, but rather I felt like a part of something larger than myself. And all these years later, I have absolutely no idea of the gentleman’s name, but I do remember the name of the joke. It was, “Ivan the Terrible,” and it was glorious!
