Oh, Lighten Up Already

And I don't just mean the fact that I've gained weight and need to get a grip!

If you knit or crochet and have been under a rock for the past year, you need to know about ravelry. It is THE place to be, and I mean that in all seriousness. The hard part is tearing yourself away.

But while I was wallowing in a wonderful thread about ludicrous and strange knitted objects*(knitted digestive tract, dissected frog, willy warmer or purse in the shape of girly parts, to name just a few) I became distracted by a side issue of humor, or lack of same. There are those who don't think it's appropriate to give a knitted womb or breast to a woman who just had hers removed or to her doctor or nurse.

I, sick and twisted and proud, would consider it a perfect gift for me in those situations and I am just sorry my mother isn't a biology teacher anymore because she could have used that digestive tract AND the frog in her classroom.

So, being me, I immediately started searching for quotations about the need for humor in all areas of life (and yes, death). I found far more than I could use on that one little thread, so here I am, locked and loaded and ready to rock and roll. Yes, I do read too many romances about jaded soldiers fighting in the desert, the jungle, and the swamp, often all in one book. Want a list?

OK, here we go:

We'll start with the Man - Bill Cosby said "You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it. "

Humor is just another defense against the universe. Mel Brooks

This guy likes big words, doesn't he?
There is no defense against adverse fortune which is so effectual as an habitual sense of humor. Thomas W. Higginson

* There was also a costume in the shape of girl parts that someone was actually wearing.

Hee, I'm really looking forward to CC's comments...

I'm crying because she's crying

There's a story about a goat in a turnip field. The boy starts to cry because the goat is in the turnip field and it won't get out. Fox comes and asks the boy why he's crying. The boy explains that he's crying because the goat is in the turnip field and it won't get out. So Fox starts to cry. Bear comes along and asks Fox why she's crying. Fox says "I'm crying because the boy is crying and the boy is crying because the goat is in the turnip field and it won't get out." So Bear starts to cry. This goes on through several animals until finally bee comes along and asks the same question and gets the same answer. Bee stings the goat and it vacates the turnip field and everybody is happy again (except, presumably, the goat).

I'm sure the point of the story is supposed to be that it is more effective to take action than it is to weep and wail with everyone else, but sometimes empathy is all you can offer. My 16 year old is sobbing upstairs because she and her boyfriend have decided to be friends for awhile. It was a mutual decision, but her life routines are built around the relationship - talking every night on the phone before bed, walking together in the halls, hanging out before and after school.

I know this too shall pass - new routines will be created, old ones re-established, but oh my heart aches for her. So right now I'm crying because she is crying and that is all that I can do.