The Lighter Side (May 2025)

Reprinted from The Vital Force October 2003

By Sharon Sirkis, Columbia, Maryland

One day a student decided to practice with her husband. She put on nice soothing music, the sound of a waterfall. Unfortunately, her husband became agitated with the music. Turns out he didn’t find the sound of running water soothing at all. He’s a plumber.

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During the last day of teacher training at lunch, exhausted auditing TCC teacher Athene Mantle had trouble getting the words she wanted to say out of her mouth. It was just coming out babble. Looking to me for some kind of help, I said, laughing, “It’s not the bubbling spring, it’s the babbling spring!”

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When I audit a teacher training course, I like to bring enough of my TCC brochures for the teacher candidates to each have one. One teacher candidate, Alla, of Russian descent, handed my brochure back to me. “Can I have your autograph?” she asked. Somewhat puzzled, I took pen in hand and honored her request. Apparently, she thought my puzzled look was something else. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t turn you over to the KGB.” 

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When I taught at the retirement community, I asked one lady in her late 80s, “What keeps you going? What do you look forward to? What makes you get out of bed in the morning?” She quickly responded, “What makes me get out of the bed every morning is so I don’t wet the bed!”