How Your Phone Can Make You Funny!

Growing up we all had a places we knew where we could find great jokes. For me it was in the Reader’s Digest Magazines my mom always had on her coffee table and nightstand (and sometimes on the back of the commode).  This wasn’t the only place—but it’s the one that sticks out in my mind.  They had jokes at the bottom of articles, as well as dedicated joke sections.  My friends never knew where I got them—but now my secret’s out. It’s been years since I had access to those magazines, but I stumbled on something that made my day—Reader’s Digest Online! The jokes are right there—hundreds of them. Like this one I remember from when I was a kid—

“Why can’t you teach puns to a Kleptomaniac?”  (Because they take things, literally).  

I think I loved this joke because I was a little lost when I first read it. (I think I was 12). Then I remember my Uncle calling me a “Klepto” because I kept taking his fishing lures—and I got the joke. Oh, man, I laughed for what seemed like an hour.  And I told that joke at parties and watched as my friends didn’t get it—and then got it. It was so much fun!  And that was just the beginning. I remember loving this one as well—

“What does Charles Dickens keep in his spice rack?”  (the best of thymes, the worst of thymes).  

I told that one to my 8thgrade English teacher—thinking I’d get extra credit or at least a smile—but he merely rolled his eyes, gave a little chuckle, and said, “If you knew anything about literature…,” and he said something that was probably profound but that I didn’t hear because I was already wondering who else I could tell the joke to.  My friend Doug was going to love it! He didn’t. But that’s part of the charm.

Over the years I’ve had a lot of people rolling their eyes, giving a little chuckle, but instead of walking away they often asked for more. That’s because we all love bad jokes.  Good-bad jokes.  Like this one—

“Man says to his doctor, ‘Help me, I’m addicted to Twitter. And the doctor says, ‘Sorry, but I don’t follow you.’”  

Get it?  Follow you?  Yep. There’s the eye-roll.  Now the chuckle.  And now you’re skimming to see if there’s any more jokes in this piece. There’s not.  But there are many, many places to get them online.

Let’s start with Reader’s Digest Online.  You go to the site and click on Jokes—and you’re in!  Of course, you can also read articles and such but why?  I’m betting most of you aren’t even reading this far—because you’re already on the Reader’s Digest website laughing at the jokes.  Fine.  But just in case you’re still with me, here’s a few other places to get great jokes online.  (and by “Great” I mean “Dad jokes” and “Make your friends roll-their-eyes-jokes”). Here’s the sites:

1)   Reader’s Digest Jokes (in case you didn’t read and just jumped to the list).

2)   Comedy Central Jokes (with lots of categories—amazing site)!  

3)   Jokes for Kids (Simple and funny.  They will love them)!

4)   Dad Jokes (Knock-Knocks, Riddles, everything you need to get an eye-roll)!  

Like so much of our life—jokes have come to be part of that little device in our pockets.  We no longer need to memorize them and hope we remember when the pressure’s on, but instead we can simply pull them up whenever we need them. 

You’d be surprised how much a good joke can ease a tense situation.  Or make a kid smile when they’re upset.  Or help you smile when the day is seeming a little too long.  

And as you help your friends find these websites, you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of jokes all the time.  It’s the gift that keeps on giving. And giving. Knock, Knock. Who’s there. A Joke, silly!

Not everyone will laugh at the same joke, and these differences in our senses of humor are so very important. This is one of the real joys of knowing how to find these jokes on the web—because we can search through jokes from years and years of Reader’s Digest Magazines—all at once.  There’s so many you’re sure to find something for even the most non-laughing person you know.

After a little searching, you will surprise them with the perfect joke. They’ll laugh. They’ll laugh again because they didn’t think they’d laugh the first time. Then they’ll realize that it was you that told them that joke—and that you really had to dig for it. They’ll see this is more than a joke—it’s an attempt at bonding with them, and helping them open up and enjoy their day.   This is a joke that says, “I tell you jokes because I love you.”  

And it is also one more way technology helps us get closer to those we love the most.