You've just named your book, Chris: BEFORE AND AFTER THE FALL. The flow is great. And, while this is a little dark, this made me laugh...still does. At 23, I had my first breast cancer scare. I was going to see a radiologist for what I thought was going to be another mammogram and sonogram. Nope. Needle biopsies for booth boobs. The needle slipped out of one lump and cause a hematoma. (I'll give you the rest of that story another time.) I had to drive home with an icepack on it that started leaking about 15 miles from home. When I walked in, damp from the leak (I was living with my grandmother at the time while going to film school), my entire family was having dinner at the dining table. Nonchalantly, they asked how it went (like it's normal for a 23 yo to maybe have cancer). I explained what happened. Someone said, "That must've hurt." I said, "Yes, like a sonofabitch." They all gasped at my used of language (where do you think I got it from?). I had said this in front my of 6-month-old cousin, whose gummy grin implied he got it. I retorted, "Look, I could've said it hurt like a m*therf*cker, but I didn't." If you think I've pushed it too far, I can always remind you there's further to go. Chalk-outline guys have a pretty good day rate. You rule, Chris. xo (PS: The lumps were dense breast tissue and a fat ball. I got the hematoma from the fat ball. The colors of it were spectacular.)
I liked the flow! I have played around structuring some of my posts like that as well. It shows you are an expert in something first and then lays out practical advice that your readers can follow borne of your experience.
While our medical issues are quite different, I found myself being able to relate to your falls, as someone who has epilepsy and never knows when seizure will bring me down to the ground. I agree, humor helps tremendously. Also I thought that your joke about the chalk outline was funny! Much moreso than anything I've come up with in that moment! When people rush over to me on the ground I usually smile and say "Yeah, I'm ok, just hanging out!"
A way that I've used humor is sometimes as a pressure relief valve. Whenever I am officiating funerals or weddings, even a not-so-funny joke gets a huge laugh from the audience. In both settings, people feel the stress of the occassion (one full of more joy, the other more somber) and to laugh gives people permission to settle into themselves and their bodies a bit more and be present in the moment.
Thanks so much, Christine. Sorry to hear about your situation, but I'm glad you've found comfort in humor as well. I agree, it's a great pressure-release valve!
Chris, I love your message and new structure! You were both funny and an excellent writer when we worked together at MDA, but now you have a real opportunity to showcase your skills to a broader audience. Thank you for sharing your deep personal experience and your wisdom in "Hello Adversity" and for helping me to start today with a laugh.
Love this Chris - I personally prefer this structure with the story up top and the tips following - if that counts for anything!
I am fully with you on the joy and power of humour. I often find that it's easier to look back on things with humour - but I must say I struggle in the moment... maybe I need to work on slowly closing that time gap haha
I liked this ever so much. Both wanting to hug you, and laugh with you as tears rolled down my cheeks. With or without the “how to” section, your writing is compelling.
Chris , one of the most uplifting post I’ve read in a long while. You encouraged us to write a comedy routine about aspects of our own life, which is a great idea. I think I will take you up on that. So now, I want to encourage you to create a fiction story about a guy with your disease. It could be a short story or even a novel, but it should take the reader through scenes that portray all the emotions and circumstances that you have experienced. Then bring it home with an awakening similar to what you experienced that our mindset makes all the difference. You have all the experiences and emotions to make it real in the mind of the reader. I apologize if I’m intruding here, but in my opinion nothing is more potent than a gripping story.
Thank you for sharing this deeply personal and insightful post. It sheds a light on how peoples experiences and life situations shape and un-shape their reactions.
Laughing is so deeply healing once we lose some of the anger and resentment. It’s a journey for sure and such an effective way to build resilience.
You summed up what falling feels like perfectly Chris. That loss of your sense of security. I have some real trust issues with my legs when I go out in public (because that's inevitably where I fall and I'm always by myself), let me tell you. Laughter is such a salve. The best one in my opinion. I have one fall of my many that stands out that can make me smile and laugh. I was in middle school in an Honors Society meeting that was being held in the portable where my AP English class usually was in. I stepped back and my foot found someone's duffle bag. I fell backwards in a manner befitting the Three Stooges or I Love Lucy. My feet flew up in front of me at a 90 degree angle. The whole portable made a "thump" noise. I managed to get myself up and the first thing I saw was my best friend and her mouth agape. I laugh every time I envision my feet going up over her head and her facial expression after. Humor matters for sure. I like the "How To" section at the end too.
Amen to that. Thankfully I managed not to hurt myself too much with that particular fall. My falls are almost always forward onto my knees so I know I will likely need knee replacements in the future so falling backwards was actually a little bit of a relief.
My mom kept telling me to get some but you hit the nail on the head! A) they wouldn't fit under my pants and b) even if I wore them over my pants, I would have even less mobility in my legs. Thank you for validating my reasons for telling her those wouldn't work lol
After my cancer diagnosis, I vowed to laugh my way through it as best I could. My mom taught me from a young age that laughter is the best medicine and the best way to handle adversity. It wasn't always easy, especially while going through chemo treatments, but I did my best. Laughter really does make difficult situations that much easier to digest. 💖
Thank you, Chris! I am happy to say that I finished up treatments last August. Just going through the monitoring stage now. I do hope your health challenges are going as smoothly as possible and that you have LOTS of laughter injected into your life every day no matter what. 🥰 It really does make even the challenging moments in life tolerable. ✨💖
"My humorous side, long dormant, awakened with a fury. A life in grayscale burst forth with color."
And the chalk outline audition gag is priceless, Chris!
Thank you so much for sharing this story - beautifully paced, its beginning overcast and dark, then the sun came out to balance it perfectly. Your writing is beautiful.
I agree in principle and practice… I have had a fat joke at hand for any occasion for many years. Sharing a laugh is cathartic among friends. Sometimes it’s a mask. Sometimes it lets the other person off the hook. Not all laughter is equal. This one has me thinking a lot. I don’t disagree, I do think there’s more. But whatever helps you, I applaud. Humor has been an escape hatch for me for a long time. I’m going to think more about this. Provocative piece my friend.
This structure definitely works for this piece. The personal story got me interested in the how-to tools. If you had simply started with, "Hey, you should laugh at stuff that sucks" and thrown a joke wrench at me, I might not have received it well. But I really enjoyed reading your essay. Great writing. And that made me want to follow your advice.
You've just named your book, Chris: BEFORE AND AFTER THE FALL. The flow is great. And, while this is a little dark, this made me laugh...still does. At 23, I had my first breast cancer scare. I was going to see a radiologist for what I thought was going to be another mammogram and sonogram. Nope. Needle biopsies for booth boobs. The needle slipped out of one lump and cause a hematoma. (I'll give you the rest of that story another time.) I had to drive home with an icepack on it that started leaking about 15 miles from home. When I walked in, damp from the leak (I was living with my grandmother at the time while going to film school), my entire family was having dinner at the dining table. Nonchalantly, they asked how it went (like it's normal for a 23 yo to maybe have cancer). I explained what happened. Someone said, "That must've hurt." I said, "Yes, like a sonofabitch." They all gasped at my used of language (where do you think I got it from?). I had said this in front my of 6-month-old cousin, whose gummy grin implied he got it. I retorted, "Look, I could've said it hurt like a m*therf*cker, but I didn't." If you think I've pushed it too far, I can always remind you there's further to go. Chalk-outline guys have a pretty good day rate. You rule, Chris. xo (PS: The lumps were dense breast tissue and a fat ball. I got the hematoma from the fat ball. The colors of it were spectacular.)
This made me laugh! Which...proves your point! Glad that it turned out okay 😀
I liked the flow! I have played around structuring some of my posts like that as well. It shows you are an expert in something first and then lays out practical advice that your readers can follow borne of your experience.
While our medical issues are quite different, I found myself being able to relate to your falls, as someone who has epilepsy and never knows when seizure will bring me down to the ground. I agree, humor helps tremendously. Also I thought that your joke about the chalk outline was funny! Much moreso than anything I've come up with in that moment! When people rush over to me on the ground I usually smile and say "Yeah, I'm ok, just hanging out!"
A way that I've used humor is sometimes as a pressure relief valve. Whenever I am officiating funerals or weddings, even a not-so-funny joke gets a huge laugh from the audience. In both settings, people feel the stress of the occassion (one full of more joy, the other more somber) and to laugh gives people permission to settle into themselves and their bodies a bit more and be present in the moment.
Thanks so much, Christine. Sorry to hear about your situation, but I'm glad you've found comfort in humor as well. I agree, it's a great pressure-release valve!
I didn’t know you had switched the order, but I like it, because it allows me to get to know you, then after I trust you to be given instructions.
Thanks Jeremiah! Glad the new way works. Before, I'd stick the how-to within the article itself, which didn't always flow the best.
Chris, I love your message and new structure! You were both funny and an excellent writer when we worked together at MDA, but now you have a real opportunity to showcase your skills to a broader audience. Thank you for sharing your deep personal experience and your wisdom in "Hello Adversity" and for helping me to start today with a laugh.
Thanks Jessica 😀
Love this Chris - I personally prefer this structure with the story up top and the tips following - if that counts for anything!
I am fully with you on the joy and power of humour. I often find that it's easier to look back on things with humour - but I must say I struggle in the moment... maybe I need to work on slowly closing that time gap haha
Thanks Zan. The timing will be different for everyone. Some people can do it spontaneously in the moment, others after. I'm somewhere in between.
Yeah I get you... I feel like someone like Dalai Lama is one of those people who can just laugh immediately haha
I liked this ever so much. Both wanting to hug you, and laugh with you as tears rolled down my cheeks. With or without the “how to” section, your writing is compelling.
Thanks Teyani! 🙏
Chris , one of the most uplifting post I’ve read in a long while. You encouraged us to write a comedy routine about aspects of our own life, which is a great idea. I think I will take you up on that. So now, I want to encourage you to create a fiction story about a guy with your disease. It could be a short story or even a novel, but it should take the reader through scenes that portray all the emotions and circumstances that you have experienced. Then bring it home with an awakening similar to what you experienced that our mindset makes all the difference. You have all the experiences and emotions to make it real in the mind of the reader. I apologize if I’m intruding here, but in my opinion nothing is more potent than a gripping story.
Cork - thank you for the kind words. Not intruding at all! That is a great idea - I will give that some thought.
Thank you for sharing this deeply personal and insightful post. It sheds a light on how peoples experiences and life situations shape and un-shape their reactions.
Laughing is so deeply healing once we lose some of the anger and resentment. It’s a journey for sure and such an effective way to build resilience.
Thank you Crystal, that means a lot!
You summed up what falling feels like perfectly Chris. That loss of your sense of security. I have some real trust issues with my legs when I go out in public (because that's inevitably where I fall and I'm always by myself), let me tell you. Laughter is such a salve. The best one in my opinion. I have one fall of my many that stands out that can make me smile and laugh. I was in middle school in an Honors Society meeting that was being held in the portable where my AP English class usually was in. I stepped back and my foot found someone's duffle bag. I fell backwards in a manner befitting the Three Stooges or I Love Lucy. My feet flew up in front of me at a 90 degree angle. The whole portable made a "thump" noise. I managed to get myself up and the first thing I saw was my best friend and her mouth agape. I laugh every time I envision my feet going up over her head and her facial expression after. Humor matters for sure. I like the "How To" section at the end too.
Thanks Jackie! Oh man that sounded both awful and hilarious at the same time. What would we do without dark humor...
Amen to that. Thankfully I managed not to hurt myself too much with that particular fall. My falls are almost always forward onto my knees so I know I will likely need knee replacements in the future so falling backwards was actually a little bit of a relief.
I briefly considered getting kneepads before realizing it would be impossible to move my legs.
My mom kept telling me to get some but you hit the nail on the head! A) they wouldn't fit under my pants and b) even if I wore them over my pants, I would have even less mobility in my legs. Thank you for validating my reasons for telling her those wouldn't work lol
After my cancer diagnosis, I vowed to laugh my way through it as best I could. My mom taught me from a young age that laughter is the best medicine and the best way to handle adversity. It wasn't always easy, especially while going through chemo treatments, but I did my best. Laughter really does make difficult situations that much easier to digest. 💖
Thank you for sharing, Dawna. I hope everything is going well with your treatments 🙏
Thank you, Chris! I am happy to say that I finished up treatments last August. Just going through the monitoring stage now. I do hope your health challenges are going as smoothly as possible and that you have LOTS of laughter injected into your life every day no matter what. 🥰 It really does make even the challenging moments in life tolerable. ✨💖
That's great to hear Dawna! Wishing you continued health and good news 🙏
“Yes, thanks. I have an audition to play the chalk outline guy in a movie and needed the practice.”
Humor can make tough situations feel better.
When you can laugh, it helps you see things more positively for a period.
It reminds you, not to feel so serious all the time, even when things are hard.
Great suggestions at the end, that are practical, and inspiring to find positives in all situations.
Thanks, Chris.
Thanks Tinashe 🙏
"My humorous side, long dormant, awakened with a fury. A life in grayscale burst forth with color."
And the chalk outline audition gag is priceless, Chris!
Thank you so much for sharing this story - beautifully paced, its beginning overcast and dark, then the sun came out to balance it perfectly. Your writing is beautiful.
Awesome. 🙌
Aw, thanks Rebecca! Means a lot.
Structure: A+
Content… touching my heart Chris.
I agree in principle and practice… I have had a fat joke at hand for any occasion for many years. Sharing a laugh is cathartic among friends. Sometimes it’s a mask. Sometimes it lets the other person off the hook. Not all laughter is equal. This one has me thinking a lot. I don’t disagree, I do think there’s more. But whatever helps you, I applaud. Humor has been an escape hatch for me for a long time. I’m going to think more about this. Provocative piece my friend.
Thanks John!
Both the structure and the story are great, keep it up! This is one of my favorites.
Thanks Stephanie!
Great piece, really appreciated this!
Thank you!
This structure definitely works for this piece. The personal story got me interested in the how-to tools. If you had simply started with, "Hey, you should laugh at stuff that sucks" and thrown a joke wrench at me, I might not have received it well. But I really enjoyed reading your essay. Great writing. And that made me want to follow your advice.
Thanks Amy! 😀