"When one looks for the irony in life, one notices it
everywhere." I just said that.
I’ll start with the definition, not because I think you need
it but because I like definitions.
“Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such
a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the
words. It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than
what is generally anticipated.”
Wanting to inject a little irony into one of my stories, I
looked around and stared out the window. A writer is working when they stare off into space; thinking is a big part of the job. So, I
was noticing all the so called little ironies in life and decided that that is
all life is.
You know, it takes sadness to know happiness, the noise to
appreciate the quiet, absence to value presence. You have to work to earn money; then you don’t have time to spend the
money you earned at work.
I ran into my high school English teacher a couple weeks ago. We
laughed about how much she liked me, even though I didn’t pay very much
attention in her class. I might have pulled my very first all-nighter because I
procrastinated her assignment of listing all the adjectives and adverbs in “The
Grapes of Wrath.” Yes, she gave me two weeks to complete it. No, I didn’t crack
the book until the night before. If I had only known that I would go on to humbly
try to write books, maybe I would have paid more attention.
This week, my ex Tru-Green man’s truck broke down just down
the street. He remembered me and came to
my door for help. Obviously, I was able to get the jumper-cables and go rescue
him, feeling mighty proud of myself. Then yesterday, my service engine soon light
came on and today my truck is in the shop till sometime next week.
I read an article today about
how blogs are not very popular anymore, however in spite of that, they are on
the web and will stay around forever. Now
I am sharing that with you on my blog.
Do you see the irony?
Alanis calls it “the free ride when you’ve already paid.”
If you’ve ever been too tired to sleep, you know the irony.
It’s everywhere.
“Thank you, life for
teaching me about irony,” I say ironically,
of course. I can't stop seeing it.
Jamie Godwin Brooks
