Our Symposium keynote speaker Judy Carter says, “Don’t get mad, get funny. And show some appreciation.” My son phoned to give me a warning, “Mom, if someone calls and wants you to verify your credit card information, don’t give it to them.” His concern was sweet, yet I was annoyed. I wanted to ask, “Do … Read more
The trick to produce humor using “understatement” is to utter words or phrases that severely under-describe a situation, often saying the opposite of what a listener expects. “Understatements” work well alone, or combine them with an exaggeration for even more fun. All fired up that he had stumbled on information explaining my symptoms, my husband Larry urged … Read more
Fulfilling the duties of the numerous roles we take on frequently requires doing more than is humanly possible. It’s no surprise that some things fall through the cracks and we make an occasional mistake. The disappointment we feel multiplies when others get upset with us. Humor offers an opportunity for us to take ourselves lightly, and to remind … Read more
There is an old saying, “You can’t be a prophet in your own town.” What is equally true is that even though your family loves and supports you, they don’t always give you due recognition and that hurts. Filtering their responses through your sense of humor can provide the emotional distancing you need to protect yourself from … Read more
We all have situations where we want to make a good impression, like when we are on the job, in front of our peers or meeting someone special for the first time. But things don’t always go the way we had hoped. Just because we started off on the wrong foot, doesn’t mean we can’t land … Read more