You gotta Laugh…

 

You may or may not have heard the old saying, “you gotta laugh, it’s better than the alternative.” It is not used much anymore, meaning it is better to laugh than to cry. We all have our trials where we have the option to wallow in the moments of pain or get back up and dust off our pants.

This has been an extraordinary year since my last birthday. The reason I say it like that is because I’ve just had my birthday. I turned fifty-six. For me, it is easier to capsulate what has or has not been accomplished each year, where you can compare year after year seeing the averaged results. This has been one of my better years in some time. It has also been the most painful. As I mentioned in a previous post, I passed a major examination so that I could continue working at my current job. To put it into context, a lot of my co-workers did not pass the test and had to leave. It took me four tries until I passed. The last one would have been my last chance if I had not passed.  Stress abounded and by the grace of God, I passed. That has been mostly the upside to this year other than helping raise my daughter.

On the other side of the proverbial coin, I have suffered a tremendous number of medical setbacks this year. Beginning with my blood pressure skyrocketing. My doctor was able to resolve it. From there I accidentally fractured several bones in my right foot. Although that was painful, it cannot compare to my recent accident where I subluxated my right collarbone from the sternum. To my amazement the doctor said that he could not do anything. I will leave out the gory details. So, another setback.

What am I trying to say here. For me, it is better to laugh than to cry. I have had a lot of turmoil in my life. Too much in a lifetime. You get to the point when you realize crying, which can be helpful sometime, doesn’t work for me much any longer. The reason that I laugh, morbid as it may seem, is a better coping mechanism to help me get back up and dust off my pants.

My apologies that this post is not about writing so much than my life experiences. To be fair, I would rather you know the reason why I have not been writing. This way you are not left in the dark. So, let’s leave it on a positive note. Although I am still recovering, plans are being made for a writing regimen. With the work test out of the way I can better concentrate on projects to come.

What projects do you ask? I need to complete the short story “The Stupid Plan”. From there I need to flesh out the mid-grade time travel storyline. At least creating the beats. I am thinking about using Milanote, as from the previous post in the planning stages of the novel. We will see how it goes, and I will keep you posted.

Laughing Photo by Stormy All on Unsplash