Catching up with Karyn
“Planned Spontaneity”
The travel gods smiled upon me. My bag and I both arrived at the same airport at the same time, traffic to the hotel zoomed along, and the line for hotel check-in was shorter than the TSA’s.
As I made my way to my room, I observed this hotel’s unique (and somewhat goth) décor: elegant, comfortable... and dark. Dark! Dark! Dark! The walls were black, the furniture was black, I even think the water was black—but I couldn’t tell because, well, it was so DARK. (And I’ll let you guess what color the ballroom floor and the staging were...)
The meeting began and halfway through my presentation, I stepped forward to make a dramatic point...and walked right off the front of the stage. (Picture Wile E. Coyote stepping off a cliff.)
As you might have guessed, the black carpet and the black stage floor merged visually, leaving no hint that there was a drop-off there. The audience gasped, wondering (in the dark) if I was injured; then they held their...
When Funny Means Money: How LaughFest Helps Grand Rapid's Bottom Line
Okay, if you're from a community that has no financial worries, or you're in charge of economic development in a town that's already booming, you can skip this post. Everybody else, keep reading! I want to tell you something amazing about the power of humor and how laughter can mean some serious money for your town.
I've just come back from speaking at LaughFest, a great event that began as an offshoot of Gilda's Club (humor for cancer patients) that today promotes the message of humor as a vital part of emotional health for all. This event is designed with something for everyone. Top-tier comedians like Lily Tomlin and Jay Leno were there to entertain the crowds, and there were many, many free or low-cost events so everyone could participate and have a good time.
An amazing legion of volunteers makes this event happen, ensuring that performers make it to and from many venues throughout the city. Performances weren't limited to pricey convention centers. The laughter took place in...
A Change of Plans!
Having your plans change can certainly be a stressor. Luckily, humor provides us with an all-natural, drug-free way to boost our emotional resilience - minimizing the impact of stress on our physical and emotional health. With that in mind, I offer the best joke I've heard all day to you:
Q: How does an octopus go to war?
A: Well-armed!
Want to boost the benefit you just got from that simple laugh? Share it with a friend. Try the 24-Hour Humor Challenge: see how many people you can make laugh - or at least groan! - with that joke (or anything else that makes you laugh!) over the next day. You'll be surprised how much fun it can be.
