I’ve come to the realization that life is a whole lot easier if you can laugh at yourself. There are times when situations arise that, if you let them, could really turn your day upside down. However, if you respond with laughter (in certain circumstances), you might just be able to see the humor, the joy, the lesson in it all.

Because…sometimes life is like a cat that relieves itself on you.

Let me back up a bit.

So, yesterday, I was rocking out to the sounds of The Clash with Sammie and Jocelyn. We have a blue beanbag chair in our front room that the girls love to dive into. Well, in the midst of dancing to The Clash’s version of “I Fought The Law and the Law Won”, I look over to see Jocelyn dive into the beanbag. I didn’t really think much of it…until I saw her splashing her hands in some kind of liquid.

My first thought was, “Oh man, the lid came off of her drink.” However, as I got closer, I noticed that the liquid sure didn’t smell like water.

I then realized that it was all over her pajamas…did she vomit? I asked her, and as any almost 17-month old would do, she nodded in affirmation.

I wish it was vomit…Instead, it was cat urine.

So, I began to go into a full rant, “Stupid cat! Why would that stupid cat pee on the beanbag chair?”

I quickly picked up Jocelyn and headed to the tub. She was totally having a great time! I continued my rant, letting Emily fully know how disgusted I was with her cat.

And, I became totally self-righteous as I protested under my breath while bathing Jocelyn. “Why am I having to clean Jocelyn up? It’s not my stupid cat. I’m not the one who shut the door to the room where the cat box is.Blah, blah, blah!!!”

So, Jocelyn was having a great time in the tub…and I couldn’t help but laugh…that is, until I had to clean up the cat.

“Why do I have to give the stupid cat a bath? It’s not my stupid cat to begin with.”

And, I sort of got what I deserved. As the cat and I headed into the bathroom, I noticed that my shirt was getting rather warm. And, the warmth was accompanied by the feeling of liquid running down my shirt and pants.

I’d been hit! The stupid cat got me! “Your stupid cat is peeing on me!”

While bathing the cat, I began to see the humor in it all.

My daughter…playing in cat urine…thinking it was tons of fun.

My fat and lazy cat…relieving herself on me…probably out of fear and confusion.

There I was, covered in stinky cat pee, and I just had to laugh.

Why the laughter? You see, all I had to deal with yesterday was a little bit of cat urine. Disgusting? You bet! But, in light of the various struggles that others face on a daily basis, this is nothing.

There are people whose bodies are being ravaged by disease, malnutrition, lack of decent hygiene and health care.

There are people who have no clue where their next meal will come from.

There are people who have no idea how they will possibly be able to make their next mortgage payment…let alone cover their utilities.

There are people who have faced a great deal of loss.

There are people who are unemployed or underemployed…and the job market isn’t really picking up.

These are not the kinds of things we laugh about…

And, I have the audacity to pitch a fit over some cat urine?

So, today, I choose to laugh. Today I choose to give thanks (for things like a daughter who thinks it’s a riot to play in the cats mess!) and not let the small things explode into big things that take my focus off the One Thing that can turn a frustrating moment into a hilarious memory.

James 1:2-3  Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Pslam 30:11-12  You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever!

So, maybe you have heard about one of MTV‘s latest programs, “Skins”.  And, then again, maybe you have not…

When word of “Skins” started to hit the rumor mill, outrage and potential protests became the standard response of conservatives, evangelicals, parents groups, and so on. Why?

Well, because “Skins” is a program that, in a way, glorifies teenage promiscuity, experimentation with drugs and alcohol, and disrespect for authority of any kind.

Due to the fact that I had heard so much outrage over this new show, I decided to watch an episode. Truth be told, I was more offended by the poor acting and weak dialogue than any of the actions.

Reporters have said that the show has “crossed the line” in ways that no other program has…in history.

Yet, as I watched, I found that it wasn’t any worse than “Gossip Girl”, “90210”, or any of the crime dramas that air on a nightly basis.

I believe that the drama created prior to the airing of the first episode actually generated more interest in the program (maybe that’s what they were going for). Viewership dropped drastically after the first episode (again, most likely due to the poor acting, poor dialogue, etc).

Do I think it is an appropriate show for teenagers to be watching? No. But, I also believe that most of the programming on MTV is inappropriate for teenagers. I believe there are far more offensive programs airing on MTV than “Skins” (don’t even get me started on “The Real World” or “Jersey Shore” or any of the “reality” programming on any network).

Rob Sheffield, in his Rolling Stone article on the program, put it much better than I ever could:

“…the really shameful exploitation on MTV is the thriving ’16 and Pregnant/Teen Mom’ franchise, which has become a ‘Star Search’ for aspiring knocked-up teenagers. The whole point of ‘Teen Mom’ is to promise the jackpot of celebrity to the underage girl who gets pregnant in the most colorfully sordid circumstances. ‘Teen Mom’ is just sadistic, especially when you consider that the true casualties are the screwed-for-life babies who can’t sign the consent forms. ‘Teen Mom’ victimizes real-life kids and glamorizes their victimization; ‘Skins’ has fictional kids with fictional problems. It’s beyond idiotic not to see which is more ‘offensive’.”

So, those “sounding the alarm” on a program like “Skins” are not entirely wrong. It’s an awful program.

Here’s my suggestion…parents- pay attention to what your kids are watching.  Talk to them about what you allow them and do not allow them to watch. Talk to them about the differences between fiction and nonfiction, reality and what television producers call “reality”.  And, you might want to rethink allowing your kids to have a TV with cable (or computers or cell phones for that matter) in their bedrooms…it’s hard to monitor what goes on behind closed doors. Now, I’m not saying “burn the TV” or “only let your kids watch Christian television or listen to Christian music” (some of that is just as offensive, in slightly different ways). I’m just suggesting that we all think about what we watch and what our children watch. I’m suggesting that we have open dialogues with our families on how we engage with the culture around us.

So, will I be watching “Skins”? Nope. But, not because of the “offensive” content…but because it’s just a bad show.