Who Do I Want to Praise?

January 4, 2012/Mary Valle

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Do you ever get taken by surprise when watching shows with your spouse or significant other or pet? I was watching That Mitchell and Webb Look with my husband and pets the other night. You know how it is: Last night of vacation, laptop, electric mattress pad, wind blowing, had my face all lotioned up, was feeling 95 years young. The Vermont Country Store Catalogue mocks me at times like this ’cause I sure could use some insulated underpants and an electric nose cozy and some of that barfy old-timey marzipan candy with extra walnuts. I’d eat it. I had just huffed a bunch of herbal “Rest Easy” supplements from Whole Foods and exactly nothing. was. happening. “Natural” remedies: I shake my fist at thee.

Then, like a bolt from the tiny screen we were huddled around, something was funny! Very funny! It was so funny I had to watch it a bunch more times and giggle all night long about it! My new favorite show: “A Prayer and a Pint,” which is a sketch from That Mitchell and Webb Look. Consult your Netflix for more info. In this sketch, David Mitchell plays Danny Cosey, an Irishman who travels to distant lands where he eats typical British junk food, drinks a pint, insults the locals and sings a hymn, which is the same hymn in every episode. It’s the best hymn ever written. Now I have something to sing to myself when things have taken a turn for the worse. Or just in general when I need some cheering up. All together now:

“All I want to do, All I want to do, All I want to do is praise him.

All I want to do, All I want to do, All I want to do is praise him.

What do I want to do? What do I want to do? What do I want to do?

Praise him.

Who do I want to praise? Who do I want to praise? Who do I want to praise?

GOOOOOD!”