the little jokes

I've got a new thing to talk about.  I'm cutting and pasting the following from an email I sent today.  I feel like it says a lot about me.

I believe the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa began as a mistake.  I think the architect of the leaning tower of Pisa had no idea he was building on weak soil.  I believe that Einstein’s theory of relativity came into being because a clock reflected light irritatingly into his eyes and Isaac Newton really did get hit in the head with an apple.

 I’m not suggesting that a joke series that I write is going to shine the light into quantum computing or demonstrate a means of traveling through the universe faster than light.  The thing is, most of the really important things in our lives have very little to do with science or the advancement of mankind.  The most important moments in our lives are, in fact, very tiny.  Sometimes, the most important thing is nothing more than an unexpected smile, an honest and undemanding compliment, or a nod of approval.  And sometimes it can be a brief story that can make you laugh or make you feel inspired.

 I think I would call that a life goal of mine.  I don’t need to paint the roof of the next Sistine Chapel.  I’d instead like to be the guy who told Michelangelo a few jokes on his way up and down the scaffolding, just enough so Mike could overcome the desire to quit.

 On the other hand, it’d be cool to be rich and famous, but not especially necessary.