Thursday, January 8, 2009

Tale of The Laughing Peppers


It has been said that laughter is the best medicine. Maybe so, to those who laugh? But what about if you are the one being laughed at? Would you still agree?

One late afternoon, at home in our kitchen, I was preparing the ingredients for the beef stew which I planned to cook for dinner. After slicing the red bell pepper in two, my eyes were drawn to the seeds that were so remarkably undisturbed. They remained neatly clustered on its core that I felt obliged to respect its formation. So I carefully worked the knife around them. To my surprise, the two halves of the red bell pepper revealed the unexpected. They appeared to be like two faces laughing together. As if they were making fun of me and laughing at me. And the funny thing was, I started laughing too. It seemed like all the three of us were laughing about something we did not know anything about. But there is one thing I know for sure that these two clowns did not know. It was the most hilarious and unique experience I ever had in the kitchen.

It is quite amazing how an ordinary red bell pepper would turn into laughing faces. In retrospect, the laughing peppers that I accidentally created were in fact good eye-openers. They made me realize that we all need to insert a little humour in our sometimes stressful lives. It is a must. We all know how to laugh. So why not laugh the stress away? It is a lot better than crying and it is the healthiest way to stay young. At least at heart.

In this day and age, we know of many different ways to amuse ourselves. TV Shows are the most common and shopping would probably rank second, followed by exotic travels. What about the old fashioned and no cost humorous conversation with families and friends? Did anybody count that in?

In the Holy Scripture, nothing is mentioned about Jesus laughing. Does that mean that he didn’t? I would like to believe that he did. He was just as human as anyone of us. He must have laughed at some of the jokes of his disciples. Or maybe he cracked a joke himself just to show his human side. Were the laughing peppers, one of God’s ways to test my humour? Well, if it was a test, I must have passed it in flying colours, because today the photo of the laughing peppers can still put a smile on my face.

Some have asked how I did it. How did I make them laugh and what was the trick that I used. I honestly wish, I could claim any credit for it, but these happy peppers just laughed freely on their own. Believe it or not, I have tried many times to re-create them with other peppers that I sliced, but to this day, The Laughing Peppers’ jolly expression remains irreplaceable.

The image of The Laughing Peppers is one of my most treasured shots and the most talked-about photo in my portfolio. It has been recognized by photo judges for its unique artistic expression; and with its contagious laugh, it has also won the smiles and laughter of the many that have seen it.

Life is short. Make the most out of it. Be happy and laugh while you still can.