Yesterday was one of those days. The details aren't as important as the real work that's required to dig deeper and not let the inadequacies of the world get you down. It's not easy though, as well all know. To look the other way, to lead with a smile when a part of you would really like to punch the thieves of happiness right in the gut. Not really, but the thought does bring a certain satisfaction to the mind.
Regardless of what industry you find yourself, there are people who will cut corners, pretend they don't understand, act sneaky, and outright lie to your face, to their boss, and to a judge. These are the ones who make life difficult for the rest of us who are still holding ourselves up to higher standards. We are the ones who believe in walking the walk, not just talking the talk. We have the wild audiacity to put our faith in the justice system and are naive enough to think that telling the truth is all it takes to set the record straight and win a battle against a much larger, craftier opponent. That's not always the case.
That's where a good sense of humor comes in.
Your heart could feel like it's exploding, but you can always imagine it exploding and somehow find yourself laughing because humor can hijack you from a crappy situation and for a brief moment, you actually feel better.
Funny thing is... you only need a moment on the other side of humor to get your laugh back. To get your thoughts straight. To think your way through a situation to the other side where you can right a wrong. To take a deep breath, adjust your ponytail or goatee, and say to yourself, they're not worth the energy.
Some days, the heart doesn't break. Instead, it launches confetti without board approval. I think that's the techical term for it.
You can be standing there, trying to stay calm, while your internal legal department is already drafting a 300-page motion telling the judge all the things the client did very, very wrong. Meanwhile your nervous system is holding an emergency meeting, and your last mature thought just left the building, leaving their phone behind. At least that version of you isn't firing off RFTs (rapid fire texts) trying to solve the crisis before you've even taken stock of where you land in the whole deal.
Then humor waltzes in, wearing sunglasses, and says, "Okay, but how about we save our energy for better things? What if we shift gears into reverse, and get the heck out of dodge?"
That's the pivot.
That's all you need to move in the other direction. A simple little what if thought experiment can shift your perception from wanting to show those tricksters whose boss to going out with friends and letting yourself have a good laugh.
This isn't forgiveness. It's not denial. It's not a case of pretending everything is fine while your soul is chewing on drywall. The villain doesn't become less villanious. The lie doesn't become less annoying. The shady little corner-cutter doesn't suddenly receive a certificate in ethics and personal growth.
But you're not going to solve the situation, if all you see is red 💔
So you pivot again. And again. And again. And as many times as is necessary until you find that one inch of fresh air, which is just enough to remember that your heart is allowed to explode into tiny hearts and streamers instead of mind-consuming rage.
This is humor therapy at its most practical:
- My heart exploded, but thankfully it was the party-popper I needed.
- My peace of mind left the chat, but it said it might come back for snacks.
- I was going to spiral, but then I remembered I have things to do and a hair tie with more structural integrity than this situation.
- I adjusted my ponytail like a woman preparing for battle.
- The goatee stroke is the masculine version of opening a philosophy seminar with deep concern.
- My amuse system is not missing. It's in witness protection.
- The truth will set you free, but apparently it may also require exhibits, affidavits, and three people pretending they never stole the money.
- My heart exploded, but in a festive way, which means growth.
Whatever the world sends your way, just remember... you can get mad, you can feel frustrated, you can even plot your revenge, but those options fail to deliver you to the desired results you were hoping for in the first place. So you might as well let them go and get on with your humorous thoughts.
Happy thoughts absolutely do travel fast, and they travel fastest when you're riding them yourself.
