Coping with Humor and a Shop

I didn’t know that everyone doesn’t deal with stress the way my family does, and has, for as long as I can recollect.

How do we deal?

Well, we use humor. Sometimes we use it not quite appropriately for anyone on the outside looking in. 

Example: when my son completed his first radiation treatment for cancer, we were driving home. Here’s our exchange:

Me: Something smells good. I must be hungry.

Son: I think that’s me. I got cooked today. 

(They let him bring a CD with his own playlist for the treatment and his had “My Future’s So Bright I Have to Wear Shades” and “Highway to the Danger Zone.”)

I learned about funny and dark at my dad’s knee. During the most intense moments, he always find something funny to crack us up. 

A dad example:

When the hubs started his first post-college job in Houston, his work area was in Northan Alaska. That meant he’d be gone for two and half weeks at intervals. One of those intervals happened when a hurricane was bearing down on the Gulf Coast. 

I was raised inland, WAY inland in Wyoming. All of the drama was way outside my experience. 

So hubs was in Alaska, I was new to Houston area, in an apartment with my daughter when I experienced my first tornado watch. At the time, I didn’t know that meant a tornado could form. I don’t know, maybe I thought it meant we got to “watch” it. 

Hey, I was young and alone with my kid. 

So I called home.

I got my mom and told her my tale of woe.

Mom: Here talk to your dad. He’ll know what to do.

So I told my dad my tale of woe.

Dad: You need to go to the basement.

Me: We don’t have a basement.

Dad: Then a lower floor.

Me: Our apartment is on the top floor.

Dad: (after thoughtful moment) Then if it hits you’ll probably die.

I heard my mom screetch in the background, but I laughed because it was so my dad. And I felt better. 

So it’s probably not a huge shock that when I went into the business of writing—humor and sometimes dark humor—came with me for the ride. 

And it also happened in my shop. 

Yes, I have a Shop. 

I’ve let it kind of languish out there as I was busy with other things, but I checked it out this week and went, wow, it’s funny. And dark. (Hat tip to Amy Brantley who first set it up for me.)

It’s called Perilous Pauline’s Apparel and Perils. So I thought I’d share some screenshots from the shop to give you an idea of the humor, the peril, and yes, the dark: 

The plan is to add more stuff if I find people are interested. Right now I just have a sampling of book covers available as die-cut stamps. And the dark stuff. 

It takes a bit of time to get things set up and I kind of went down the rabbit hole doing this much. Lol But it was fun, so if you have a wish list, let me know!

Perilously yours,

Pauline

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