Appreciating the Absurd

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Lately things haven’t been making much sense, so I suppose it is in self-defense that I have begun truly appreciating the absurd. 

 Merriam-Webster defines absurd this way:  “Ludicrous, ridiculous, meaningless.”  And secondly, “Having no rational or orderly relationship to human life.”  And I love the synonyms for it on thesaurus.com: “Bugged out, cracked, crazy.”

Embracing the wonderfully wacky seems to lessen the impact of things gone woefully wrong.  At least, that is how it works for me.

Sometimes I even seek out the wacky for comic relief, though the seeking out is not usually necessary.  In our current age, the wacky and absurd seem increasingly abundant.

Often when I see things that are totally absurd I find myself thinking, “Ummm….why?”  But there is no why.  “Why not?” might be a more appropriate question.

Why not have a giant chicken emerging from your El Camino?

Why not have Cadillacs sticking out of the dirt? 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10058483@N00/2390546144/

  

Why not put the world’s largest ear of corn above an otherwise ordinary structure? 

http://media.photobucket.com/image/roadside%20attractions/hokuten_04/

Why not have your photo made next to King Kong?

http://media.photobucket.com/image/roadside%20attractions/lucas_ashley_whistler/

 Why not wave at the Giant Cowboy? 

http://media.photobucket.com/image/roadside%20attractions/labbieland/

Of course, roadside attractions are meant to be absurd.  Then there are the gentle absurdities of everyday life:  a decision made by a close friend or relative that boggles your mind, a ruling made by the company you work for that defies any known logic or reasoning, a recipe that turns out nothing like the description, though you followed all directions to the letter, an especially aggravating neurotic behavior that your dog seems to have acquired out of thin air.  I could go on, but you get the picture...

It seems best just to shrug, smile, and appreciate that life is indeed strange.  And sometimes the stranger it is, the less you have to explain!

I’d love to hear about the latest absurdities in your life.  C’mon, it'll make me feel better!  Please feel free to leave a comment.

Marianne M. Smith
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
http://writerattheranch.com
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com