My mirror laughs at all my jokes

I simply can’t look at myself in a mirror without making funny faces. 

And, this might seem a little strange, but I often find myself laughing at the funny faces I make. But then again, I often laugh at my own jokes. (Why would you tell a joke that you, yourself, wouldn’t laugh at?)

I’ll explain more about this odd introduction a bit later….

Silly face!

Silly face!

Mirrors are a lot like guns, money, and social status. They are not evil in and of themselves.

 When you stand in front of a mirror, it’s not saying or implying anything.

All of those critical voices you hear as you stand in front of a mirror?

Wow, you’re looking pudgy!

Look at those wrinkles!

Did you get dressed in the dark?

Your sister, brother, mother’s cousin’s boyfriend looks better than you.

Yeah. The mirror is not saying those things. (And, if it is, run!!!!)

The voices we’re hearing sound a lot like ourselves or the critical people in our lives.

It’s true. The mirror is not our enemy.

We need to stop hating the mirror and start dealing with the real monster: Our self-perception.

Which brings me to why I make funny faces…..

It’s because I like who I am as a person and I’m not going to let negative chatter slow me down anymore. I get that there are some flaws, but guess what? That’s a part of life.

If you blame the mirror–or someone else–for your faulty perception nothing will change. Then you’ll just be angry and bitter, which will only make it worse.

Changing how you think about yourself? Now that changes everything.

So, next time you’re in front of a mirror and the voices start screaming, make a funny face and tell them to buzz off, okay?

No one likes a mean comedian

I love to tell jokes. They’re a lot of fun–if told with the right attitude.

Which brings me to today’s talk…

Being mean spirited in your humor is not okay. Here’s a few categories:

  1. Racist jokes
  2. Fat jokes
  3. Lewd jokes
  4. Political jokes
  5. Handicapped jokes

This list can go on and on because anything that has a positive side also has a negative side.

I would be a liar if I said I’ve never laughed at or told a mean spirited joke. We have all laughed at inappropriate things.

But that doesn’t make it okay.

And that’s the hard part….

Look, I’m a fairly black and white person. There is no middle ground with me. Right is right and wrong is wrong. The end.

I’m not a prude or a religious “everything is sinful” kind of person. At some point, though, we all must decide a standard to live by.

We can’t say it’s not okay to discriminate or disrespect others in all areas–except joke telling.

Just because something is funny doesn’t make it right.

And saying “just kidding” is not a magical eraser that negates the power of your words.

Please, everyone, have a life filled with joy and humor. I’m not  saying you can’t ever tease in a playful way.

We all know the line.

We all know when a joke’s bad or gone too far.

Use discretion, okay? What if it was you on the receiving end?

Now, back to reading my joke book…