Let me tell you a true story… I was on a job interview once for a job that I really really really wanted – mostly because it wasn’t in retail, which is what I had been doing for some time.  During the interview, the potential employer asked me what my “dream job” would be.  I answered – in all seriousness – "I want to be a boat captain in the Caribbean."  The interviewer looked at me like I was a total nut job and responded with, “How is this job going to get you there?”  Well, lady, it’s not, but just like the commercial in the 80s that said, "No one says I want to be a junkie when I grow up," I am going to bet no one says, “I want micro manage 10-15 employees at a mid-size direct mail marketing company when I grow up,” either. 

Was this the best time to make a joke or make light of the situation?  Maybe not, but you know what, I got the job.  Thus proving that it is never a bad time to make a joke or make light of a situation.  Well, almost never, but you get the gist of what I am saying.

Making jokes and being able to make people laugh is probably one of the most important things that got me through this entire ordeal.  From criticizing people in the ER waiting area, to cracking jokes with my nurses and doctors – after my surgery one of my nurses asked if my vision was getting any better and I said, “Yeah, I think so.  I can tell that you have blond hair.”  She responded with, “Amy, I’m black.”  I did know this, but it was funny nonetheless.  Most of my doctors got my jokes too… most of my doctors… most of my jokes.  And most of what you are reading here has been told at least once - just for a laugh.

A couple of days after surgery I was given a hearing test – which was kind of a joke because I could hear just fine.  I had just received a dose of morphine a few minutes earlier so I was a bit sleepy during the test and I may have fallen asleep in the middle of it.  The nurse had to wake me up to finish.  I apologized and explained that I hadn’t fallen asleep during a test since I took the SAT.  I don’t think she appreciated the joke as much as I - or my mother - had.

If I wasn’t laughing about something – the fact that I had to have help “emptying” my bladder (I’ll spare you the details, but trust me, it isn’t enjoyable); my bizarre roommate; being given an extremely powerful pain killer; falling asleep during a test; getting flowers from a client I can only barely stand; the backless gown; and mesh underwear (yes, hospital issued mesh underwear – don’t ask, because I won’t tell), the hospital food (if they can even call it that); the fact that I couldn’t see, that I had staples in my back, side and stomach… if I couldn’t laugh about these things I was just going to cry – and I am not a crier. 

In the end I think most people I encountered enjoyed my sense of humor.  I mean, it did get me an extra shot of morphine on my last day and even 2 months after we met, the first doctor who saw me in the ER (the one I told that I go big or I go home) recognized me during a follow up appointment with another doctor – to which I said, “Wow, it is really nice to actually SEE you.”  So when life gives you lemons, don’t make a sour face, grab some vodka and start pouring some shots.