Sure I’ll Join Your Cult.

This sentence makes me laugh.
And not uncomfortably so – but in a full throttle, sign-me-up kind of way.

Sure I’ll Join Your Cult is the title of a book by comedian Maria Bamford about her mental illness. The fact that the subject matter is far from funny doesn’t change my reaction. It still makes me laugh. Every time.

It implores me to poke fun of the madness in my own life:

• Rehabs are nothing more than lock-down spas. #insurancespa
• Fentanyl gives you more bang for your buck! #smartaccounting
• Addiction is not for quitters. #winning

It’s sort of funny, right? I am getting a jolly little lift from this creative exercise.
I realize that poking fun at vulnerable people is pretty evil. Rehabs are not spas (beyond the gift of time to focus on health); Fentanyl is not cost effective if it costs lives, and addiction is the one thing we hope our addicts can quit.

But I just want to laugh without reservation. My mind has been too long saturated in this sobering subject matter. Even when having a good time I can hear that little jacka$$ in my brain saying “hey super glad you are having a good time right now – good for you! Enjoy yourself and I’ll check in tomorrow.”

De-coupling from reality might work. Poking fun at myself might work:

• No I am not your mother. #freedom
• First ever volunteer for capital punishment! #sweetrelease
• Unicorns are welcome to give birth in my brain. #hellomadness

I could do a deep dive here on the power of laughter (but we all know the benefits) or the fact that the best jokes are based on uncomfortable realities (my son calls them “cringe jokes”).

But at this point I don’t really care to dissect it. Stay tuned: maybe I will get canceled like David Chapelle! Or, maybe I will make it super easy on myself and completely check out: I’ll just join a cult. 🙂