| I've been in the humor business for over 50 years, | | | | hate! The opposite happened, as a few awards came |
| so when I built my website, I knew there would be | | | | down, which nourished my soul, and I was relieved |
| plenty of humor. But, I wanted more than that! I | | | | that I could go forward with such an important issue. |
| wanted to address other important issues in all of our | | | | One day, I was surfing around in the Homestead |
| lives, such as the environment; encouraging young | | | | (host) clip-art library, working on an article I was |
| people to stay in school; and good health care...both | | | | writing, and I stumbled onto the cutest little |
| physical and mental health, etc. | | | | straight-jackets I've ever seen! I knew right away, I |
| Starting out with my idea on the Funny Farm, I had | | | | was going to bring in these little straight-jackets in |
| two problems. We still live in a country, filled with | | | | and put them to work. This is the point where humor |
| people of hate; discrimination, racism and bigotry! | | | | would come into the Funny Farm, and I would now |
| That's the sad part of it all...but true nonetheless! Age | | | | open the Funny Farm Gift Shop, where these little |
| discrimination goes on all the time in this country...and | | | | cute straight-jackets would be on display, etc. I made |
| discrimination against people with mental illness goes | | | | them "designer" straight-jackets in your favorite |
| on all the time, too. The name-calling; job | | | | colors. |
| discrimination; the put-down in it all, which is all a | | | | When I was down with hardship and heart-failure |
| shame for this country! | | | | (2005), I was in a lock-down psychiatric ward myself |
| Frankly...because of all this, I was reluctant to open | | | | for over three months, and it gave me great joy, |
| the Funny Farm, because of my fear of getting | | | | when I put a smile on one of the other patient's |
| flamed...hate mail, or even being discriminated against | | | | face, which brought joy into their life, even if it were |
| or losing my job, etc. Isn't that a shame that a | | | | just for a few seconds! So, now I would try to blend |
| person has to feel this way, when dealing with such | | | | mental illness with all the joys of humor, always |
| an important subject, which affects all of us! So, I | | | | remembering that I had to find a way to do it in a |
| had to proceed carefully, etc. | | | | respectful and dignified way! |
| Going back to the Stone Age of 2003, and I | | | | I decided not to throw a bunch of jokes in the Funny |
| contemplated all of this, I did so for about six weeks, | | | | Farm, for that would be tacky, cheesy and |
| and I went back and forth with the idea, as to | | | | dis-respectful! I decided to talk about the positive and |
| whether I should go forward with the idea at all. So, | | | | healing power of humor and what clean humor means |
| I placed all of it on the back-burner for a few weeks, | | | | to all of us! This was my starting point in blending |
| as I tried to make a decision on the matter. The | | | | humor with mental illness...the benefits of humor in |
| second problem I had, was how I could blend humor | | | | the HEALING PROCESS! And, by doing it this way...I |
| with mental illness, and do it in a respectful and | | | | was very excited about the project! |
| dignified way. Experts tell us, that being able to laugh | | | | I read a newspaper article recently, whereby stress |
| at ourselves, at all the "crazy" and "insane" things we | | | | and depression in the work place are at an all-time |
| all do is good for us...it's therapeutic! I don't know if I | | | | high. No wonder...as we live in a greedy society, |
| had the courage to attempt this or not. | | | | whereby many people can barely make it from |
| I decided to go forward and open the Funny Farm, | | | | paycheck to paycheck and can't save for the future! |
| but I would do it in a serious manner, and leave out | | | | This is putting a lot of stress on families of all sizes! I |
| the humor, because I frankly, didn't know what to do | | | | encourage everyone to get the health-care they |
| or how to handle it. Weeks went by, and things | | | | need...physical and mental healthcare! THERE'S |
| went well...I was not flamed nor did I get emails of | | | | NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED ABOUT! |