Catching up with Karyn

Welcome back to today’s 30-Day Humor Challenge. Humor is abundant if you look for it. One of the places I go to for humor is my library. I love books, and I have a huge collection of authors who are funny and insightful. Books by comedians are an obvious choice, like Ellen DeGeneres (My Point, And I Do Have One), Dennis Miller (Rants), or George Carlin (Brain Droppings).

There’s also humor from modern-day philosophers like Robert Fulghum in his book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, or how about a little sci-fi humor with books like All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Star Trek or The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Maybe you prefer something a little more classic like tales from Mark Twain (that other humorist from my hometown—Hannibal Missouri!).

I enjoy books from funny gal pals like Loretta LaRoche (Life is Not a Stress Rehearsal), Gina Barreca (It’s Not That I’m Bitter) and Mary LoVerde (Stop Screaming at the...

I speak to thousands of people every year about the power of humor. Nearly everybody “gets it,” and they all appreciate humor. But when I suggest that they consciously bring more humor into their lives, some of them resist, saying “But I’m not funny!”

To which I say: “GREAT!”

Here’s the good news. To enjoy humor, you don’t have to be funny! Some of the happiest and most successful people I know aren’t funny, but they recognize its value. They’re not humor initiators but they ARE humor appreciators!

So let’s kick off the challenge with something easy and start by examining your sense of humor. What makes you laugh? Do you enjoy deadpan humor like Steven Wright’s? Or do you like redneck humor like Jeff Foxworthy’s? Maybe you’re a fan of slapstick like The Three Stooges. (Knuuck, knuuck, knuuck…) Maybe you’re a fan of satirical humor like Sarah Silverman? And what are your favorite...