I don’t know why, but as a seventh grader I was crazy about the short quotes and stories in Reader’s Digest.
I could not wait to head south to my Grandmother’s house for our Thanksgiving gathering, where she had all the back issues stashed in a neat magazine rack in her bathroom.
The Wallaces, originators of the magazine, had a mission that each article have enduring value and interest.
I loved that they were short, which allowed me to read and enjoy them without investing too much time on just one topic.
I bounced from the jokes to the quotations and cartoons, and between the excerpts from books and short stories flipping pages as fast as I could.
My favorites were the “Word Power” and “Laughter is the Best Medicine” collections.
The quotes and stories opened my eyes to the fact that people could acknowledge and find humor in their mistakes though someone might not be ready to forgive them for the infractions.
I knew there were some things that were not easily forgiven nor could they be laughed at.
But it made me feel a bit easier that people, such as myself, were also human and suffered the same pitfalls as they to traveled the road of life.
These mini dramas of real life made being an insecure teen a bit easier to swallow.
I read a moralizing story, followed by an article on practical life skills, followed by someone relating a story that made them laugh.
It was the best way to spend an afternoon as the grownups caught up on all the family news since we were last together.
The laughter that my family shared seemed to heal any wounds that may have been caused during those months of separation.
It filled the air, mixing with the smell of turkey and oyster dressing.
To this day I believe that laughter is the best of all medicines, but now my insurance only covers chuckles, snickers and giggles.
Mitch Lee, Adirondack native & storyteller,
lives at Inlet. ltmitch3rdny@aol.com