The Clap.

Sometimes you just clap. I read this in a children’s book once and it stuck. And while I could be way more happy clappy and significantly less judgmental, these words have softened my criticisms a tad. When my husband asks me to comment on an advertisement he’s making (yes he’s one of the madmen) and I don’t like it, in the past I would have said something like, “That’s shit, straight-out-of-ad-school, first-thought crapola.” Lord knows why, but this used to irritate him?? But now I just clap. And he seems to be happy enough with that. If I really like something he’s doing I just clap louder.

Family vacation stories. Just clap. Your pals are moving and you are selfishly sad. Just clap. He said/she said? Just clap for whoever is doing the saying. Your friend’s new hair-do. Clap lots. The poor dear needs it. “My Johnnie’s so smart, his teacher says he’s the cleverest kid in the class, isn’t your daughter in that class?” Clap.

But isn’t that lying? No, no, no. You have it all wrong. A clap is just that. A congrats. A well done. Bravo to you. It comes with no more commitment than that. That’s why it’s such a perfect thing.

Thanks for reading this blog. Thunderous applause.