I had quite the encounter this week at work. It was love at first site. No, my husband shouldn’t be concerned, well maybe a little.

The door opened mysteriously. I didn’t see anyone at first, but then a tiny hand appeared on the window. I had to get up and look down to realize the cutest little boy trying to get my attention.

When I opened the window, I was greeted by, “Hi, my name is Merrick, my birthday is January 13th, and I’m 5 years old. He really did have me at hello.

He presented himself with purpose and eyelashes for miles, quickly capturing my attention.

Considering his excess energy, we had the pleasure of keeping him busy while his mother was taking care of business. A dream come true for me.

It turned out that little Merrick is an aspiring entertainer, stand-up comedian to be exact, and he hit the jackpot because I am the perfect audience.

The show started after we drew a dinosaur and colored it with what I thought was a green crayon. However, I was corrected and informed that it was, in fact, asparagus, followed by an introduction to the spinach and celery crayons in the box. Alrighty then …

Showtime for me began when he signed our artwork with “Poop” in all capital letters. I asked, “Is Poop your artistic alter ego?” I don’t think he heard anything other than “poop.” Unless the big laugh that followed was a yes.

Boys and the joy they get from saying, writing, and hearing the word poop remains a mystery.

Once he started his set of knock, knock jokes, there was no stopping him. At one point, I thought I was watching a blooper reel. He could not keep it together to deliver the punchline, but in reality, that was the best part of the show. Robin Williams reincarnated.

I’ll leave you with one he closed the show with before his mother came to collect him.

Who’s there?

Knock, knock

Who

Who, who?

What are you, an owl? Falling off the chair, grasping for air from laughing.

Merrick was much more than an aspiring comedian; he was a reminder that life is too short not to stop and appreciate the joyful innocence of a knock, knock joke,

Enjoy the Ride!