Lighten Up! Let It Begin With Me.

So my goal lately, after a long time of being serious, is to lighten up. I decided this after watching the audience's response to a popular circuit speaker. They were laughing. They needed to laugh. Too often we Al-Anon's forget about humor. AA's Big Book recognizes that alcoholics are not a glum lot. And neither are we. In fact, newcomers are often surprised when we laugh in meetings about alcoholism. How can this be funny? they think. And I often think the same thing, not just about alcoholism but every thing else. Oh, woe is me. Life is so hard. The world is such a scary place. But I'm trying something different, to look at the bright side of things, even the funny side. So "let it begin with me" is a good slogan to use, since I know I can laugh at myself without hurting anyone's feelings. And when I speak, I can tell my funny stories about how crazy I was and still am sometimes. However, that doesn't mean we don't talk about the serious business of recovery. It's just that people tend to perk up and maybe listen a little better if they've had a giggle or belly laugh and thus are relaxed. So I'm still learning, thank God!