Sarcasm In Paradise

I think I’ve seen every shade of ROYGBIV that can be splayed across a sunset and many other kinds of natural wonders like the Holei Sea Arch at Volcanoes National Park (pictured here). But during our family trip to Hawaii (not done yet; don’t rush me) maybe my favorite moment was this wee bit of reality sarcasm from my 15-year-old daughter.

Elena: I hate the way old people smell.

Me: Will you take care of mom and me when we’re old?

Elena: If you wear perfume.

Paradise is so much better with a side of sarcasm.

Second favorite moment: I asked a hotel concierge if she could change a $5 bill for singles (for some tips I wanted to make).

“Yes,” she smiled. “But there’s a $1 service charge.”

I gasped.

“I’m just kidding,” she quickly added.

With that, she broke through all the fake smiles of service and also slyly commented on vacation gouging.

I was impressed–and kind of happy that, after almost two weeks of vacationing, my personal radar had clearly been reset to mellow.

Eric Messinger is the editor of  New York Family. He can be reached at emessinger@manhattanmedia.com