Mirth Foundations

"The arrival of a good clown exercises more beneficial influence upon the health of a town than 20 donkeys laden with drugs."
Thomas Sydenham, seventeenth century English physician

I hate the saying’ always a bridesmaid, never a bride” I like to put it into perspective thinking; “Always a pallbearer, never a corpse” Laura Knightlinger

A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that 'individuality' is the key to success. Robert Orben


June is a month to celebrate many things. We celebrate weddings, graduations, vacations, reunions, children are out of school and “Thank- God- there- is –summer school.”

With all these celebrations are family get-togethers. And with family usually comes ‘differences of opinion’ aka “arguments”. Sometimes it’s the off handed comment, meant for no one but hurts someone. Occasionally it’s a crash of personalities, both going the same way on a one lane road. For myself, sometimes I just run out of ‘nice minutes’ (on my internal party meter) and I know its time to leave, before the fireworks begin. I had an uncle that “was just joking” when actually, his words were hurtful. Perhaps meaningful siblings make a joke to relieve tension, and the awkwardness just causes more. How many of us have met the relative that says or does something so ridiculous that the rest of the family bonds over our collective groans of embarrassment? (Imagine Aunt Janie whistling “Here Comes the Bride” thru her bottom dentures… at your wedding)

All of the above are examples of “good humor’ gone bad. When someone makes a joke that implies “superiority”, well, someone has to be “inferior’ in order for the joke to work. We participate in jokes like that all the time. Male vs. Female, Blondes vs. Brunettes, or Americans vs. Terrorist are all examples of jokes that come to my emails daily. Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I share and most I delete.

Some people insist on putting those quirky “emoticons (think weird smiley face made from colon, dash and back parenthesis) after they write something teasing or sarcastic in an email. If we have to relieve tension this way, maybe we just should'nt send it!

Lastly, in the peak of tension, some people think they need to entertain and distract from the moment. Sometimes I’m grateful for the distraction... and sometimes I’m not. My husband is particularly fond of this type of humor. And why not? He learned it from me.

June is also Firework Safety Month. Stay a safe distance from firecrackers, sparklers and spiteful jokes. Forgive yourself and others for the occasional “misstep’ of humor. Most important, seek out and celebrate the healing power of humor.

Blessings of Gratitude, Humor, Laughter and Mirth,
Debra Joy Hart RN, BFA, CLL