A Joke, Seriously

Today I am grateful for the beautiful sunrise this morning and for the beauty of words coming together in my mind and heart.

Okay, so I skipped right over the letter "J" the other day, going from "I" to "K."  Oh well. Good to laugh at ourselves and our mistakes. And this was one that carried no ill effect.

Speaking of laughing, how about a joke for the letter "J"?

How can you tell the difference between a social drinker, a problem drinker, and an alcoholic?

"When a social drinker gets a glass of beer at the bar and there's a fly in it, they take it 

back and get a new one. When a problem drinker gets a beer with a fly in it, they take the 

fly out and drink the beer.  When an alcoholic gets a beer with a fly in it, they pick 

the fly up, shake it, and say "spit it out, spit it out!"

This joke always makes me chuckle, and always gives me pause. For someone who may not understand what alcoholism is like, this may give you a glimpse. Laughter in recovery is a gift and a barometer. My spiritual health is reflected in my ability to laugh at myself and to partake of laughter shared with others. If laughter grates on me, chances are I have work to do on something.

A joke can lighten the mood, lighten the load. It is in no way making light of what is a deadly serious disease. I take recovery seriously. It is as necessary to me as water food, exercise. The laughter follows the serious work, the revealing and healing we do. Laughter is one of the rewards.