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The Funniest Thing I've Ever Seen
By Keith Rawlinson

Being the somewhat warped individual that I am, and loving humor as I do, I am always on the watch for funny things.  When I experience something particularly funny, I commit it to memory.  As the years go by, if I see something I consider to be even funnier, I sort of replace the previous incident with the new one for the title of funniest thing I've ever seen.  Currently, the funniest thing I've ever seen is something that happened clear back in college.  Even though that was quite a while back, I still haven't seen anything that beats it.  If I ever do see something funnier, I will commit it to memory and consider the new story to be the funniest thing I've ever seen.  Below is my story of the funniest thing I've ever seen so far.  As long ago as it was that it occurred, it still sometimes pops into my mind for no real reason and makes me laugh out loud.


One day, back when I was in Cleveland, Ohio at Cleveland State University earning my degree to become a science teacher extraordinaire (which I did, in fact, become!)  I was sitting at the bottom of two very steep hills which lined the walkway to one of the main classroom buildings.  It was a nice day, so a hundred or so other students were out there as well.  I chanced to look up and beheld a  member of our CSU baseball team perched upon the top of one of the  hills.  A rather stuck-up wretch he was.  Anyway, he was far too cool to walk around the hills and come in on the sidewalk that we mere mortals were using; so, he decided to just walk straight down the side of the  hill.  After his third, or perhaps it was his fourth, step, both of his feet slipped out from under him at the same time and he came rolling down the hill.  And, it was a steep and high hill to be sure. Flail as he might, he...just...kept...falling.  Rolling, falling, rolling, falling seemingly without end.  His book-laden backpack went flying in one direction, and his oh so precious CSU baseball cap (a veritable diadem I'm sure) went flying another.  When he finally, mercifully, came to rest at the bottom of the  hill, he stood as quickly as he could, retrieved his backpack and threw it back over his shoulder as arrogantly as possible.  He then, just as quickly, retrieved his CSU baseball cap, perched it proudly back upon his head, then struck a pose which made it quite obvious that he had somehow managed to delude himself into thinking that no one noticed.  No one noticed???  Yea right.  There were a hundred kids sitting out there.  You took an unbelievably comical tumble down a hill that I'm sure was much higher and much steeper than you would have liked--A tumble that went on for so long that it seemed as though time itself had slowed down--and none of us noticed?  Make no mistake, oh glorious CSU baseball player, that I am laughing even as I write this.  So, my better-than-the-rest-of-us friend, not only did people notice, but one of those people is still laughing at you all these years later.  I do, however, sincerely hope that the bruised limbs and the bruised ego have since healed.  I understand that, by now, you may have completely forgotten about your little trek down the slopes of CSU, or perhaps you have purposefully blotted the entire, esteem-shattering incident from your memory; but, it matters not since I do still remember.  Thank you, my dear CSU baseball player, for making my time at Cleveland State University so memorable.  I laugh at you--I mock you--but I salute you.

Copyright © 2000 by Keith Rawlinson (Eclecticsite.com).  All rights reserved.   May not be copied or reprinted without author's permission.   You may, however, link directly to this site.

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