Father Leo’s

HUMOR


“The one serious conviction that a man should have is that nothing is to be taken seriously.”

–Nicholas Murray Butler


For years I used to take myself too seriously. I thought that everything

depended upon my thoughts, actions and decisions. Life was a series of

agendas that had to be met; life was too serious to be joked about. I

knew that I was not God, but I took responsibility for the whole

universe. I had opinions on everything and everybody and I was, of

course, always right.


As the years passed it grew painful being so responsible — my control

produced stress, tension and loneliness. Then a friend said to me, “Let

go and let God.” I began to detach and laugh at my insane behavior. I

laughed more as I began to accept my humanness. I discovered

spirituality in the joke. God must have a sense of humor — after all,

He made me.


Help me to laugh at myself in my search for the Kingdom.

EASY DOES IT #essentialsofrecovery

HUMOR

Rule 62: Don’t take yourself too seriously.

~ Anonymous ~

Once we get the God problem figured out, it’s easier to lighten up on ourselves. When we play God, we’re serious about ourselves because, after all, we’re God and God is serious. Besides carrying the world around on our backs is heavy stuff, and it’s hard to laugh when we’re so weighted down.

Once we work our Steps, we see things from a clearer point of view. We get a sense of humor back. The slogan “Easy Does It” speaks to us.

We watch the old-timers and how they handle situations. There is usually little fuss or hassle. They don’t frown or look worried. Those who have been on the Program for a long time know that things come and go; God’s will will be done. Life has a lot more to do with acceptance than with being serious.

Let me learn to accept that God’s in charge. Then I can stop taking myself so seriously.

©1990 by Anonymous. All rights reserved. Published by Hazelden. 

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The Eye Opener #essentialsofrec #Recovery

In our drinking days, there was no humor in the world except that doubtful brand we heard around the bars. It is certainly true that we took our insignificant affairs and our ridiculous selves mostly seriously.

In AA, when we became mentally sober, we not only acquired a sense of humor, but we were even able to laugh at ourselves. We can now accept the criticism of others with a greater degree of patient good humor, we have learned that the best way to confound our critic is to laugh off his attack with good-humored tolerance.

Hazelden Foundation 

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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery

HUMOR


“The one serious conviction that a man should have is that nothing is to be taken seriously.”  
        
–Nicholas Murray Butler

For years I used to take myself too seriously. I thought that everything depended upon my thoughts, actions and decisions. Life was a series of agendas that had to be met; life was too serious to be joked about. I knew that I was not God, but I took responsibility for the whole universe. I had opinions on everything and everybody and I was, of course, always right.

As the years passed it grew painful being so responsible — my control produced stress, tension and loneliness. Then a friend said to me, “Let go and let God.” I began to detach and laugh at my insane behavior. I laughed more as I began to accept my humanness. I discovered spirituality in the joke. God must have a sense of humor — after all, He made me. Help me to laugh at myself in my search for the Kingdom.

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Just for today

A sense of humor


“We find that when we lose self-obsession, we are able to understand what it means to be happy, joyous, and free.”

Basic Text, p. 107

––––=––––

The laughter in our meetings often surprises the newcomer. As a group, we appreciate the healing that healthy laughter brings. Even if we are deeply troubled, the joy that often fills the meeting rooms allows us, for a time, to have some fun with our recovery. Through humor, we can be temporarily relieved of our obsession with self.

Life on life’s terms is often anything but funny. But if we can keep a sense of humor about us, things that might overwhelm us can be made bearable. How often have we allowed ourselves to be upset by incidents that, taken with a bit of humor, are not all that intolerable? When we become annoyed with people and events, a search for the humor in the situation can put things in a brighter perspective. An ability to find humor in a difficult situation is a gift to develop.

––––=––––

Just for today: I will look to find the humor in adversity. When I make mistakes, I will find a way to laugh at the humor of my imperfections.

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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery

HUMOR


“Humor may be defined as the kindly contemplation of the incongruities of life and the artistic impression thereof . . . The essence of humor is human kindliness.”

— Stephen Leacock

Humor for me is a key to balance. In the joke I am able to release some tension or frustration and cope with my disease of alcoholism. When I drank, I did not have a genuine sense of humor — rather it was sarcasm, cruel “put-downs” or insane expressions of my manic personality. My fun was created at the expense of others. It was a form of violence. It kept people away from me and created a loneliness in my life.

Today I seek to use humor as an expression of acceptance, tolerance, understanding and forgiveness. Humor is an aspect of my spiritual program. In humor I experience God.

Give me the gift of humor that reflects the dignity and hope for us all.

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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery

 HUMOR

“Humor is an affirmation of dignity, a declaration of man’s superiority to all that befalls him.”

— Romain Gary

Today I laugh at myself. Today I need to laugh at myself in order to stay sane. Today I choose not to take myself too seriously.

When I tell jokes about the alcoholic, I am not belittling the person. I am making fun of the disease that nearly killed me. For me to live with the disease, I need to be able to laugh at the disease in this way I stop it from having power in my life.

Also I catch something of the symptoms of the disease in the jokes: the grandiosity, arrogance, manipulation, insanity, ego, selfishness and exaggeration. The joke allows me to face reality with a smile.

O God, thank You for the healing gift of humor. 

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ONE DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrecovery

HUMOR

Don’t take yourself too damned seriously.

Rule #62, AA’s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions ~

In the years of my existence, before I got into recovery, I would run from one self-important crisis to another. Everything was so important, so heavy! What laughter there was ended up directed derisively at others. I treated my life with self-importance and pomposity.

It took sitting in the rooms, day after day and night after night, listening to how recovering people were able to laugh at themselves. Oh, they were deadly serious when it came to working the Steps and the traditions. After all, if not for them, they’d be dead or crazy. But as they would share things where they had shown the heavy-does-it attitude, they would see the folly of their ways and start a good belly laugh that would cascade through the room and have us all wiping our eyes.

As I work my program, I realize that there are some things that need more prayer and meditation than others. Then there are those things in my life that, under the light of my recovery, are just plain flat-out silly. My Higher Power gives me the ability to cry and grieve where appropriate. My Higher Power also has taught me that laughter, indeed, is often the best medicine.

One day at a time ….

I learn that healthy laughter is just as important to my recovery as are the healthy tears.

~ Mark Y ~

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FR. LEO'S DAILY MEDITATION #essentialsofrecovery

HUMOR

“Humor is an affirmation of dignity, a declaration of one’s superiority to all that befalls one.”

~ Romain Gary ~

Today I laugh at myself. I need to laugh at myself to stay sane. I choose not to take myself too seriously.

When I tell jokes about the alcoholic, I am not belittling the person; rather, I am making fun of the disease that nearly killed me. For me to live with the disease, I need to be able to laugh at it. In this way, I stop alcoholism from having power in my life.

In addition, I catch something of the symptoms of the disease in my jokes: the grandiosity, arrogance, manipulation, insanity, ego, selfishness, and exaggeration. Joking allows me to face reality with a smile. Today I use humor in a loving and mindful way.

God, thank You for the healing gift of humor.

© 2008 Leo Booth 

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ONE DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrecovery

HUMOR

Don’t take yourself too damned seriously.

~ Rule #62, AA’s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions ~

In the years of my existence, before I got into recovery, I would run from one self-important crisis to another. Everything was so important, so heavy! What laughter there was ended up directed derisively at others. I treated my life with self-importance and pomposity.

It took sitting in the rooms, day after day and night after night, listening to how recovering people were able to laugh at themselves. Oh, they were deadly serious when it came to working the Steps and the traditions. After all, if not for them, they’d be dead or crazy. But as they would share things where they had shown the heavy-does-it attitude, they would see the folly of their ways and start a good belly laugh that would cascade through the room and have us all wiping our eyes.

As I work my program, I realize that there are some things that need more prayer and meditation than others. Then there are those things in my life that, under the light of my recovery, are just plain flat-out silly. My Higher Power gives me the ability to cry and grieve where appropriate. My Higher Power also has taught me that laughter, indeed, is often the best medicine.

One day at a time ….

I learn that healthy laughter is just as important to my recovery as are the healthy tears.

~ Mark Y 

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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery

LAUGHTER

“We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can.”
– Will Rogers

When I first heard recovering alcoholics laughing, I thought I was in the wrong place. I was angry that they treated the disease so lightly.  Then slowly I began to see that laughter is part of joy — a deep joy that comes from personal healing. Laughter is spiritual because it is a positive response to life. It is the noise of optimism.

And there is so much in life to laugh about — not only the funny things we did, but also the “humor” that abounds in living. How funny is our self-righteousness! How amusing we are in courtship. How ridiculous we appear when we pretend to be serious and “in charge”.

Laughter is the conversation of angels.

Let me see the miracle of humor in the gift of life — and let me be prepared to share it. 

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Walk In Dry Places #essentialsofrecovery

The role of humor
Attitudes

There’s a lot of humor among recovery groups, which probably came out of the bizarre drinking stories told by speakers. It’s also a reflection of our real personalities.

The right kind of humor helps us achieve balance and not take ourselves too seriously. Meetings can be terribly suffocating when they have neither lightness or gaiety.

There is also a wrong kind of humor that should be avoided. It’s very easy to let joking and good-natured ribbing take the place of the honest discussions all of us need. It’s too easy in AA for a member to become known and liked as a charming jokester, even though he or she may be quietly feeling lots of inner pain. People are often surprised when such a person runs into trouble, because they had accepted the humorous surface personality without knowing the real person. In such a case, humor can send the wrong message.

Most of the time, however, humor helps keep us on the right track. Let’s keep it in our picture, but also in the proper focus.

I’ll not be afraid to laugh at myself or about myself today. Perhaps my right-spirited laughter also reflects the laughter of God. 

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Father Leo’s Daily Meditation #essentialsofrecovery

NONSENSE

“We find it hard to believe that other people’s thoughts are as silly as our own, but they probably are.”
– James Harvey Robinson

Today I am able to laugh at myself. I even “think” funny things. I sit at airports and look at the faces, postures and mannerisms of the people passing by and I smile, giggle and laugh in my handkerchief.  Then I think about what a funny man I am — so ridiculously proud, so pompous about the silliest things, so preoccupied about my own importance — and it is funny.

Yes, today I am able to laugh at myself. I know that people are funny because I know I am. At meetings I hear people laughing about the day’s insanities and I can always identify. Even my relationships are humorous. I try so hard to make a good impression while at the same time offering the effect of detachment — trying to be “cool”.

God must have a sense of humor because He made you and me!

Thank You for the gift of humor — it allows true humility to develop. 

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