The healing power of humour

When life throws limes at you, don’t make juice. Make jokes. Really. After a short hiatus, Inspire Me Thursday is running again and this week’s theme is healing. For me, this hits home. There is healing power in humour.

Four years ago this month I was very sick. Very. As in, almost dying. My lungs -- as it turned out, both lungs -- were filled with several pulmonary embolisms, including some large ones. Blood clots. Thanks to the skilled nurses and doctors at St. Michael’s Hospital, I’m here to tell the tale. But I attribute part of my healing to the fact that I never lost my sense of humour throughout my ordeal. Yes, I was facing a serious situation to say the least, but heavens -- I wasn’t going to let something like that stop me from being me.

For example, I was in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) for a day and I was the belle of the ball there. ICU staff are simply not used to patients who are talkative and alert and wisecrackers. “Hey, we get to tell the jokes; we’re the doctors here,” one fun-loving physician doing rounds told me that day. And after I’d been in the hospital for over a week, and was starting to show definite signs of recovery, a young doctor confessed to me. “We just didn’t know what to make of you. Your behaviour. Our tests were showing us you were so sick but you didn’t act it.”

So my advice of the day is this: even when you’re down, try to have a laugh. It will do you good. Like the above photo. I hope it makes you smile. It cracks me up, really it does. Who’s on first? Hu’s on first! I took the photo in Florida back in February at the pre-season opening-day game, Braves vs. Dodgers, at historic Holman Stadium in Dodgertown, otherwise known as Vero Beach. I’m sure every single time Hu makes it to first base throughout his career he will be saddled with the “who’s on first” classic, but you’ve got to admit, it’s a winner. C'mon now. Smile!