Laugh ‘Til It Heals: Finding Humor in the Journey By Christine K. Clifford, CSP

(I have 2 SIGNED sets of ‘Laugh ‘Til It Heals’ and ‘The Clue Phone’s Ringing’ to give away at the end of this post)

A Guest Post: Laugh ‘Til It Heals: Finding Humor in the Journey By Christine K. Clifford, CSP.

Cancer and divorce. Are you laughing yet? Trust me; I wasn’t either when both happened to me.

I was forty when I was diagnosed with breast cancer seventeen years ago. My mom passed from it at 42. Things were different back then: there were no pink ribbons or Cancer Survivor’s Day celebrations. Mom sank into a deep clinical depression, became a recluse and died.

When I heard I had cancer, I thought of my role model: Mom. I’d get depressed, crawl into bed, and die. That is until the night I had my “Twilight Zone” experience. Six weeks after surgery—I had already started chemotherapy and radiation treatments—I woke in the middle of the night with a vision: cartoons. Over 50 cancer-related cartoons started popping up in my head. Scribbling madly, stick-figures flying, exhausted I went upstairs and crawled back into bed.

Something changed for me that night. The next morning I headed to the book store and public library to find a humorous cancer book. The clerks at the Information Counters were not amused. “Humorous book about cancer?!? You’re sick!” (Ah-ha, another cartoon I thought.)

I started searching for signs of humor. The more I searched, the more I found. Suddenly, humor became my focus. Not “I’m going to die,” or “I’m going to crawl into bed,” but “Where are your funny movies, or do you have any new cartoon books?”

I joined organizations like the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor and started communicating with some of the world’s leading authorities on laughter therapy. But something else happened to me, too: I survived.

I cannot pinpoint the exact moment when humor became a purposeful part of my second divorce journey. Looking back on a marriage that included domestic violence and a broken nose, severe alcoholism (his) and loss of identity (mine), there were moments so absurd, that if I couldn’t laugh about them, I’d cry. Certainly laughter felt better than tears.

Feelings of anger, fear, denial and grief paralleled my cancer experience. The only difference was that one was a struggle for my breast. The other was a struggle for my heart.

It wasn’t easy finding humor in all I’ve endured. But I called upon that healing power of humor that had literally saved my life years ago, and realized, “I can survive again. I can find life~ and a good life~ on the other side.”

The next time you find yourself at a fork in the road, don’t take the path of least resistance. Paths without obstacles rarely go anywhere. Instead, take the road along the cliff—the one on which you will find humor. Because I promise you this: the sheer exhilaration of the ride will fill you with more laughter, and give you even more permission to laugh harder still. And that one day, will help you survive. But every day will leave you utterly tickled pink. Don’t forget to laugh! ™

I have 2 signed sets of ‘Laugh ‘Til It Heals’ and ‘The Clue Phone’s Ringing’ by Christine K. Clifford to give away. That’s 2 books for 2 lucky folk! Simply leave a ‘please pick me’ comment by 3pm (GMT) November 30, then I’ll pop all names in a mug and ask a small child to select 2 winners. This competition is open to all.

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About the author: Christine Clifford, CSP is CEO/President of The Cancer Club (www.cancerclub.com) and Divorcing Divas, LLC (www.divorcingdivas.net) and the author of Laugh ‘ Til It Heals: Notes from the World’s Funniest Cancer Mailbox and The Clue Phone’s Ringing… It’s for You! Healing Humor for Women Divorcing.

“Laugh ‘Til it Heals: Notes from the World’s Funniest Cancer Mailbox explores the humorous side of cancer while also providing information on how to support someone who has cancer, and giving advice regarding beneficial nutrition. The book is also practical in citing resources created by cancer patients worldwide.

As you read these touching stories, you will laugh out loud with the storyteller. Laugh at the story of a woman chasing tumbleweed (her wig) across the parking lot on a windy day, or the woman who suffered the side effect of a powerful diuretic in public.”

 

“The Clue Phone’s Ringing… It’s For You! is a poignant book about how humour became part of Christine’s therapy as she faced her second divorce.

The Clue Phone is the phone inside your head that should set alarm bells ringing when something isn’t quite right about a situation. If only Christine had picked up the Clue Phone on one of the numerous occasions when it rang off the hook, she wouldn’t have entered into a marriage that inevitably ended in divorce.”