Humor will get you everywhere

My dear friend Leslie died from breast cancer in June. During my divorce, she called every day. There were times when I was so lonely and exhausted from crying that I didn't know what to do. I would begin pacing, and then suddenly the phone would ring. It was always Leslie telling me she was thinking about me.

She would listen to my tale of woe for the day, then she would say something that would make me laugh. Both of us had a ridiculous sense of humor that, during this period, bordered on the macabre. After her phone call, I always felt better. With one simple act she had told me that I mattered and she had made me smile.

Shortly after I got a dog from the pound (which Bob had forbidden me to do. Hah!), Leslie sent me a refrigerator magnet that said this:

"I got a dog for my husband. It was an even trade."

I had a good laugh, but felt sad at the same time. I wanted both the dog AND my husband. This world lost a gem when Leslie lost her battle with the dreaded big C. God, how I miss her! The point of this post is that even during the darkest times you can find something to smile about. The people who seem to move through a difficult period with their sanity and humor intact are those who can stand back from their misery and see a larger world and their place in it. Life's too short to waste a large amount of your energy on something (or someone) you can't change.

What you CAN change is yourself and your attitude towards the situation. Thank God I had Leslie to keep me on an even keel. Here are a few more funnies Leslie would have enjoyed batting back and forth with me:

"I've never been married, but I tell people that I'm divorced so they won't think something's wrong with me." -- Elayne Boosler

Half of all marriages end in divorce.
That's not as bad as it sounds. The other half ended in death."

Former Education Secretary William Bennett attended a modern wedding where the bride and groom pledged in their wedding vows to remain together "as long as love shall last."
Bennett said, "I sent paper plates as my wedding gift."