Resolution #25: Write More Humor

My husband, Wes Browning, is a master at making points lightly. I am not.

After 12 years of hanging out together (ten of those officially) Wes has conditioned me to at least make my points more concisely. I had developed, over the years, the habit of 1) make the point; 2) give an example of how it applies; 3) rephrase it; 4) give another couple of examples of how it applies; 5) rephrase it again; 6) pause for questions. Wes taught me to respect my listeners more; make the point briefly, and only elaborate IF somebody asks questions! (Or responds in a way that indicates she thought I said Wednesday when I actually said peanut butter.) He did this by saying, "Got it, move on," usually after about ten words. :D

I still get a lot more verbose in the written word, when I cannot see a reader's eyes and spot when they've "got it" and it's time to move on.

And I learned all by myself that every single time somebody came back to tell me that I had really, really helped them, I had been feeling "light" at the time; and every time that I was trying very intensely to do something very very IMPORTANT it more often resulted in a noxious mess.

I do write very informally sometimes. I do use humor. Still, when Wes and I introduce ourselves at social occasions, people tend to grip my hand and say in a low and earnest voice, "I am so moved by your writing"; and then he says his name and people tend to get a big daffy grin and hop up and down squealing, "You're Wes Browning! You make me laugh so much!"

It's not that I'm jealous. I like moving people. I want to move people. It's just that I'd like to make them laugh occasionally, too. Not that I'm jealous. They don't have to squeal.

Well, the capper was, Wes read my list of two dozen New Year Resolutions and he complained, "There's not even one funny one!" I can't even think of a funny New Year Resolution! So I thought of making Resolution #25 "Lighten the fuck up." But that sounds way too close to what my sister might say to me right now, or what I might say to my sister right now, anyway, I don't want to go there right now. So I'm making Resolution #25 just, "Write more humor." Not even pointed humor, topical humor, or subversive humor. Something that is funny just to be fun.

I'm even going to add #26: "Do at least one thing each day that is totally, purposelessly, just for fun."