Always Room for Improv-Ment 

Then she uttered a sentence that made me glow with pride: “And even if they bring the class off-topic, I do love her one-liners.”

Ahh. The apex of mommy nachas. My progeny inheriting a sense of humor beats any certificate of academic excellence.

Growing up, I also cracked one-liners in class… except no one heard them because I didn’t say them out loud. In school, I was an introverted people watcher. I didn’t really talk to the peers in my grade, but I wasn’t miserable because I was constantly entertained by the running side commentary in my own head. I once even overheard my teacher telling the principal: “Even when she sits alone in a room, you can hear laughter from inside.”

When I was ten years old, I remember being asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” A practical girl, I answered, “A veterinarian.” But my inner voice whispered, “A stand-up comic.”