My community is typically a boring one, and the photo essay helped me find humor in the everyday. My brother Benny can sleep in any position anywhere. I have found him curled up in a ball on the floor of the car, inside a small closet, sprawled out on the grass, and even sitting on the toilet going to the bathroom (don’t tell him I said that). There was even a time when we were coming back from a road trip and he fell asleep in the very back of our suburban on top of all of our bags. We had to drive two hours on a dirt road, and since the suburban didn’t have any air-conditioning we rolled down the windows. Well due to the rolled down windows a ton of dust was coming into the car and conveniently gathered in the very back where Benny was sleeping. When he woke up he looked like Tommy Timmins from the Sandlot right after their tree house blew up. He was completely caked in dust. You couldn’t tell where his eyebrows were, and his whole body, clothes included, was covered in a thick layer of dust. The man could be narcoleptic.
So to demonstrate this I decided to catch some pictures of Benny in the funny places he sometimes sleeps. While doing this exercise there were many times where I bust up laughing just because of how awkward he looks, and how funny the whole situation is. It has really helped me find fun in the everyday. It has opened my eyes to a whole new world of things that might seem boring, that in all actuality are super funny such as narcoleptic Benny. Honestly, is there anything more boring than sleep? If there is either I don’t know it, but Benny has proved to me that even sleep can be a wholesome source of entertainment. I also think that he would kill me if he knew I was posting these pictures on a blog for class…
I'm going to send this page to your brother. I agree with what you said about finding fun in the everyday. On most days, nothing particularly awesome happens. And life can get pretty mundane sometimes. That's why it is important to find fun and or enjoyment in the little things; it helps to keep us from going crazy. Life is a lot better when you can kind the humor in the insignificant stuff. It is all of those small, happy moments that keep us a float during the hard times. This morning, for example, my roommate was talking in his sleep and said: "I don't want to go with you. I want to stay home and make cookies." It was a good way to start of the day.
ReplyDeleteThis is really funny! I'm impressed that he can sleep so quickly and easily. I like what you said about nothing being more boring than sleep, but how you were able to find the fun in it anyway. That's a pretty good example of making the ordinary interesting. On second thought, it's not all that ordinary to most of us, but to you and your brother it is. So it's kind of like seeing into your version of ordinary and finding the humor in it. I like it!
ReplyDeleteWhere I'm from in AZ that is not a whole lot to do so we always had to find random things to do with whatever we had. I agree that any situation can be fun so long as one tries to make it so. I also thought it was funny some of the places your brother sleeps because I too have taken naps on the floor and other random places. Sometimes when I'm too tired I don't care where I'm at I just flop on the floor and sleep. However some of the positions he is in I find it incredible how he is able to sleep comfortably. Sleeping face first with your nose flat on the floor I find to be very uncomfortable but if he can sleep that way good for him.
ReplyDeleteOh dear. I often feel like I am going to fall asleep where ever and when ever I can. I think your brother has the right idea. If I could fall asleep as easily as him, I would... However, there seems to be very few ways that I can actually fall asleep. Your brother has skills. AS for capturing this in a photo essay, I applaud your efforts in finding a sleepy person and literally snapping photos of several sleep locations. It is quite impressive.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me think about my sister, her silly habits, and how they make me laugh my head off. Of course, just like your brother, she would not be entirely happy if I were to post them online for strangers to see. This post is a good reminder of how even in the most unusual ways, siblings are always there for us (most of the time).