Funny, I Was Just Thinking That

Humor has always been a big part of my life.  When I was young, my father told me that God gave me the gift to laugh and I should always remember to spread it to others.  Later, words like "sick" and "twisted" were used to describe the gift, and maybe I should think twice about the spreading part.

Is laughter the best medicine?  A recent report in "Science Daily" found that  it is one of the greatest assets in healing and stress reduction.  And it also found that employees reported higher job satisfaction when they worked for someone who used humor.  "If employees view their managers as humor-oriented, they also view them as more effective."  This was even truer in medical settings where pain and depression were a daily part of life.

I recently blogged about my "C Card" . . . those business-looking cards that I have handed out to people allowing me to "play the C card."  I have expanded on them, creating others that read, "You're not really that boring.  It's chemo fatigue," "Shampoo?," and "I'm sorry to hear you're having a bad day.  Did I tell you I have cancer?"

So I went online to find other people in the world of cancer who might appreciate them.  To my surprise, when I Googled "Cancer, Funny," there were almost 5 million hits.  By the end of my reading, I was laughing and crying and I realized that I hadn't felt better in weeks.  Medicine?

A woman by the name of Christine Clifford founded CancerClub.com.  She is also the author of "Not Now, I'm Having A No Hair Day."  Her site, her books, and her speaking engagements all reflect the same humor, which I love.  She also markets products for people with cancer who choose to laugh.

I emailed Christine and heard back from her within a couple of hours.  (Ya gotta love this age of instant communication.)  She will be speaking here in Los Angeles in a few weeks and invited me to the event, which I will definitely attend.

This is her introduction on her website . . . 

"Humor is a great connector of people.  I know I needed people, especially family members, around me as I faced my journey with cancer.  Therefore, it is often the patients themselves who need to 'set the tone' and let family members know the timing is right to bring laughter back into their life.

How can we accomplish this?  It's simple:  there comes a point in the life of most patients when they realize that they can't change their situation, but they can change their attitude.  They want their life to get back to normal, and humor is an important ingredient in the recovery process."