A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook that I always made her laugh. I originally thought that wasn’t my intention. But looking back, I think it was.
It started as a warning to watch out for the frozen pizza bites sauce squirting out the side and landing on your skin. Believe me when I tell you it burns! A LOT! Stupid things like that happen to me regularly. For instance, one day I was shaking out the sheet that I was putting back on the bed just after washing. The ceiling fan was on and the light off. But somehow, I tangled the sheet with the fan, simultaneously turning off the fan and turning on the light. I couldn’t repeat that if I tried! How could I not share that?
I am going to be honest here, but I am not looking for sympathy. I have had some pretty serious health scares: Aortic aneurysm (the John Ritter one), and a month later, acute pericarditis. Four years later a valve replacement. 2018 brought my first round of cancer: guys, it’s not about the cancer as much as it is the trauma that you are no longer “you” that scared me. In 2021, Snowmageddon on the ranch, alone outside in 23-degree temps trying to figure out how to get back in the house with a broken hip, wrist, and shoulder. (Thanks, Daddy, for your booming voice telling me what to do while watching over me in Heaven). Then comes the Myeloma. It’s not curable but it is pretty controllable. So, I have had many things to commiserate and cry over. I won’t even talk about the personal stuff with my “love of my life” guy.
I have always been kind of a goofball. I mean, how many of you can get smacked in the middle of the forehead with a tetherball pole? I learned early on it was easy to cry about your circumstances but harder to laugh. But laughter made my tears stop.
After my breast cancer diagnosis, I asked my friends not to send sympathy stuff but send me jokes. One of my most serious friends told me the funniest one, after apologizing she didn’t know a lot of jokes. I always appreciated that, Daly!!
You can cry, or you can laugh. And if sending stupid things on FB that I laughed at also makes one of you laugh when you need it the most, well I will just give myself a small pat on the back for a job well done.
Laughter heals; tears continue the agony. But Tears of Laughter? That’s good medicine.
So laugh loud and laugh long. You won’t regret it.
Love,
Cindy