Do you dress like a clown?Tamsuan wrote:Greta you have to understand that old codgers like myself haven't yet got the hang of PC talk. It's pretty baffling at times. It seems you guys are miffed if we do and miffed if we don't. So straw person is good? Okay, how about chairperson of the board; good? But definitely not hootchy cootchy person, I take it. I'll make note of this.
Actually, since the topic here is "In Times of Trouble - what do you do?" I was posting light-heartedly to hint at something I don't recommend doing in response to adversity.
It's a rough world, I find. People don't always treat me the way I would like to be treated or speak with the words I would prefer to hear. People don't always vote in the way I would like either. If, when this sort of thing happens, I take myself too seriously, become offended or mortified, dive headfirst into anguish and despondency, how does that help? It just drains my energy and makes me not only unhappy but ineffective as well. That's what I don't recommend. On the other hand:
Laughter releases endorphins into the bloodstream which contribute to health and support coping abilities. It really works.
Do you wear bright colours?
Do you paint your face?
Do you always use the excuse of being an 'old codger' to talk lightly of apparent inability to flex your language skills and any new vocabulary ?
Do you have a habit of using humour in a way that isn't necessarily funny?
Do you always talk in generalised terms, like 'you guys' when responding to someone you think is of a different generation, or gender? And throw in a tint of sarcasm...'I'll make note of this'.
If challenged about using this kind of 'humour', do you accuse the person of being too sensitive - shrug and say, it was only a joke, lighten up! I have seen this tactic before and it is not funny.
I understand the benefits of laughter. And there is something called 'laughter therapy'. Trust me, I love to laugh but usually spontaneously. I also can poke fun at myself for being too serious - and tell myself to lighten up.
Also place things in perspective.
Looking at the sky and knowing how little we all are...
However, there are times when it is not possible to laugh. (And this is not the same as 'diving in to despondency' as some kind of avoidance therapy)
This too is not the end of the world. A certain degree of sadness is a perfectly natural reaction.
An occasional duvet day to rest up and re-energise might be seen as self indulgent but so what? If it works, and doesn't become a habit, then all is good.
Time passes. We get used to a new reality, and new words enter the dictionary. A realisation of how language is used by opposite parties to manipulate and control. That is important. At any age.
Now smile