So funny it hurts

I don't remember when I realized that I could make people laugh, but I have a vivid memory of the time my attempt at humor was very hurtful for the target.  I was a freshman in high school, and I was struggling mightily.  I felt quite lost in the crowd and didn't know how to make friends.  To add to the drama, I had gained twenty pounds over the summer, so any friends I had from grade school were shocked and sometimes snarky when they saw me.  I found a few new friends, one of whom was mildly handicapped with a speech impediment.  He wasn't around one day when I decided to mimic his speech to get some laughs.  I'll never forget my shame and embarrassment when he appeared as I was completing my performance.  All these years later, the memory is vivid.

 A couple of years ago I was posting on Facebook about my husband's attempts to install lights under the cabinets in our kitchen.  I was having a great time chronicling his failures, including the time when sparks flew out of the electrical outlet.  One of my friends (on Facebook and in "real life") posted that I needed to stop picking on my husband.  He was right, and I told him so (on Facebook and in "real life").  I know I've hurt my children and my friends with this crazy need to be funny and to be loved for being funny.  If it hurts someone, it's not worth it.  

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