“Humor is a distraction.” says a friend. I agree. Why? Coz when I was upset, trying to stay away from further arguments with hubby, I’d watch rom-com. It’s cathartic to cry and/or laugh: to de-stress and let myself be distracted from the sad things in life.
One Sunday afternoon, hubby and I went on an afternoon ride (pasyal sa Luneta-along-Manila-Bay) to see the sunset. It’s our new normal Sundates: driving around the city to see the sites where we used to date as bf/gf, where we liked to go pre-COVID days. It’s time/cost efficient: no traffic, no shopping, no resto eating, just Jollibee drive-thru (yumburger meal) for me. And so I took a piece of fries to put in my mouth.. 😂 right into my mask. 😆😆😆 It felt really good- to laugh at myself!
Another time, I bought coffee capsules for hubby. I took out my PWD (person with disability) ID, the cashier asked: Mam, may I see authorization letter?
Huh? Ako nga yan eh! (That’s me!)
Ah, d kasi mag-kamukha. (You look different from the pic.)
Pano mo alam, naka-mask nga ako? (How did you know with my mask on?)
Perhaps my eyebrows looked different? Oh right, I realize now I did not have glasses on my ID. 🤪
And so we all had a good laugh – me, the cashier and the sales assistant. We could not see each other’s smiles but we certainly heard our laughters.
Years ago, a day before I was due for surgery from my broken ankle, a friend sent me a video of the barkada laughing so hard after a ride in the amusement park. Imagine middle-aged men having fun from a joyride! I asked him why they’re laughing – secret daw! 🙄😏 He’s the friend who said humor is a distraction.
A cheerful heart is good medicine but a crushed spirit dries up the bones (Proverbs 17:22). Humor is indeed a distraction. It diverts our attention from the pain that we’re feeling.
And so let me share with you – one of my secrets: how I coped with depression in the pandemic: I had bonding with my friends (in groups or 1-on-1). We talked. We laughed and cried together. Confession: It’s me who cried. It felt so good to be able to cry in front of them, even more so 1-on-1 as I bared my soul to them.
Are you sad, my friend? Call a friend. Share the burden… share the sadness. God said: It’s not good for man to be alone (Gen. 2:18). This is not just about marriage. This is true for all mankind. It is not OK to be not OK alone!
