Stupid...in a good way.

My family has a saying about, well, other members of our family.  It goes a little like, "Aunt whoever did this and this.  She's so stupid, but in a good way."  Basically it's only a good way because we get to laugh at his/her expense.  I will give you an example.  Often at holiday parties we pass the time playing games.  I know this is totally functional-family-stereotype-gayness, but we do like a good game. The one we like the best is called Catch Phrase.  You have this disc thing that displays a word/thing/person.  You give your teammates clues until they guess the word then you pass the disc to the opposite team. Whoever has the disc in their hand when the buzzer goes off doesn't get to move forward on the board...etc.  Now, the perfect example of stupid in a good was was a few Christmases ago when Aunt Jamie said "Four score and seven years ago" to which my Mom yelled back "Winston Churchill!"  Unbelievably enough, Winston Churchill was the answer.  This makes my Aunt Jamie stupid for thinking that one of the most well known political speeches in the history of the US was delivered by a British Prime Minister, and my Mom stupid for obvious reasons.

I may have replaced this as the best example after what I was told today.  My mom called me at work today to tell me a little story about my Aunt Jackie.  As most of you know, I am a Chiropractor.  I often hand out samples of a product called Biofreeze.  Mom took A. Jackie samples on a trip to visit my cousin, and she's been using it a couple times a day for the last few days.  A. Jackie realized this morning, after putting on her glasses that Biofreeze is not the anti-wrinkle gel that she thought, or could have even misconstrued from the name.  It is, in fact, a gel used for arthritis and all manners of aches and pains.  She'd been rubbing it all over her neck and crows feet.  This stuff smells like pure menthol and its green.  I specifically tell my patients if they use it, to make sure to wash their hands before touching their eyes/mouths and here is my aunt, slathering it on her face.  She really thought it was working well, especially considering how nice and cool and tingly it was!  I about died!  Mom suggested it be a new marketing ploy...too funny! The Biofreeze really would sell like hot cakes then.


I had a patient shortly after Mom called.  This guy couldn't stand up...literally.  I had to lift him out of the chair, then walk behind him to steady him until we got to the table.  I adjusted him, ran some electric stim, stretched out the muscles that were in spasm, seriously, I spent 20 minutes with the guy.  I rubbed him down with a little Biofreeze before he left and then he asks if the Biofreeze was what was blocking the pain, since after all, he was upright now.  Surely it was nothing I did on the table.  I seriously considered telling him, "No, Biofreeze does nothing for pain, but it does a hell of a job on wrinkles."

I love my family and my patients.  They are always good for a laugh.  It turns out, most of us are just stupid, but in a good way.