Finding the 'f' in funny
I'll admit I've let time lapse a little, however there has been a lot on lately. Apart from the usual, three months of chemo, three exams, three assignments (passed, thank goodness) and full time work, Ive been on a mission (with my likeminded friends, thanks Madam C) to 'find funny.' I made 'Finding Funny' a mission. How else was I going to get through this horrible disease, without (metaphorically) losing it completely? I've scoured bookshops all over Sydney, the same question asked time and time again.
"What would you recommend as 'funny'?" I would ask the 19 year-old uni student. (Perhaps that's where I've stumbled already, what's funny to generation Y, may not be funny to yours truly.)
"But 'funny' as in not at the expense of others" I chimed. "You know, rip roaring narrative, dialogue that is clever, a play on words, something that will literally make my belly ache*." Another side note, never ask your mother to come and read 'funny' to you whilst in intensive care, not a good combination when hooked to a heart monitor and when you've just had stomach surgery.
"Hmm," came the repeated response, eyes permanently fixed on the invisible blackboard 30 degrees above her head. "Not quite sure, I havn't read real funny since who-knows-when."
"Right, ok, thanks then." I whispered, deflated. Wafting through the aisles, the 'f' found me in the biographies section. The 'A-HA' moment. What better funny that to go to funny themselves. Thanks to Kitty**, Fiona and The Story Club, I found what I was looking for. I entered the comedians realm and it factored to me, that the familiarality, was that each took the 'f' for funny from within themselves.
Five things I've learnt on my quest for 'funny'.
Don't ask the salespeople in the bookshop, unless you desire a philosophical metamorphis into the culture that is humour.
Funny is hard. Now I know why most entertainers struggle with being funny (RIP Robin Williams).
Funny is what's getting me through Chemo.
Funny to you may not be funny to me and vica verca.
We need to lighten up a little, there really is funny everywhere.
Thanks to the following for helping me find 'funny' (Mum, you included):
http://fionao.com.au
http://www.kittyflanagan.com
https://giantdwarf.com.au/whats-on
*At the time of publication, I officially have no stomach, so the terminology 'belly-ache' refers to the idea of 'a pain in the stomach due to excessive laughter'.
** Mental note: do NOT ever refer to Ms Flanagan as being 'cute as a button!'
#dark humour joke #humorous #funny #story #cancersucks