I want to tell you about all the awfulness in my life, some that has passed, some that I am still working through.
I want to tell you about funerals, doomsday doctors, people that can’t be trusted, and the accusations that tore my soul. I want to warn you about what it’s like to be falsely criminalized and how several decades of honorable living doesn’t sway anyone, least of all a courtroom. I want to tell you about a fear so real that it claws your soul and keeps you awake at night. I want to explain why a girl surrounded by loved ones, educated, and powerful in her own right would consider divorce, suicide, and prostitution. I want to share stories of bug-infested hotels, and untreated flus, and other people’s leftover food. I want to teach you how I learned to lie in order to protect people– Good people– and how I learned that not everyone has goodness in their core. I want to tell you how it feels to sell your wedding ring and the stuffed animal that you had since childhood, and what it feels like to have people tell you that you deserve every bad thing that happened to you. I want to rip open my chest and show you what heartbreak looks like, and how it’s caused by people failing you in your time of need.
I want to pull the veins from my body, tearing them out alongside the hurts that have imprinted themselves on my blood cells, and present my nightmares to you on a silver platter.
Then I want you to take that shiny, slimy, bloody tray– and laugh.
I don’t want you to feel the sadness, pain, anger, and resentment that hallmarked those moments.
I want you to see the reflection of yourself and think: Thank God it wasn’t me!
I want you think that perhaps at least a little of the pain was the universe calling in a karmic debt because everything is connected in some way. I want you to see all my trauma as nothing more than a cosmic pie splattered right in my face. I want you to be so filled with Schadenfreude that when you open your mouth to reply, it comes out as a giggle.
Yes.
I want you to laugh.
Because if you’re laughing, it means you see yourself in the tray. It means you feel vulnerable, mortal, and frightened, too– and then I am not alone in my fears. It means that you see these gashes and festering wounds as boo-boos and bruises, and you are sure I can recover. Your laughter means you are celebrating your good fortune and my strength.
I need you to laugh so I can celebrate with you, and heal. I need to heal so I can wipe pie off my face and move on.
So when I am finally ready to carve a hole in my soul wide enough for you to crawl inside and look around– and you see the mess left behind and the damage done– please remember: I want you to laugh.
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Prompts for the Promptless – Episode 3, Schadenfreude
This week’s cast so far:
- TheImaginator: Mudita- Food for Thought
- AlienRedQueen- The Cycle
- The Daily Dilly Dally – Pratfall
- ReviewerRose- Schadenfreude
- OneStarvingActivist- The Army of Unanticipated Motion
- Serendipity- Funny Story
- TheCutterRambles – Sports Hate
- Adventures of an Aussie Girl in London – Schadenfreude
- Indira – Schadenfreude
- Mind of a Mouse – Schadenfreude
- Ecofinanalysis – Schadenfreude
- Electronic Baglady’s Bag of Bits – Strength in Weakness
- Beeblu- In the Ring
- Breathing Space – Lazy Man’s Method
- MamaBear Musings – Schadenfreude
- Heart and a Half – Literary Schadenfreude
- Fish of Gold – Schadenfreude
- Ecofinanalysis- The Colonial Contest
- … and you?
rarasaur 
Simply incredible. I understand so well what you have described.
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*hugs* Thanks for reading!
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What is it about Schadenfreude that makes me think of many issues and ideas all at once. My head is all a-buzz. Your post did not help! Very well described. Now, I’m thinking of either reblogging or referencing this! A post is born!
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Sorry to say, Rara, that I am not laughing. I am crying tears of heartfelt joy and gratitude. Grateful to have you as a friend, grateful that you are able to bounce back and laugh at the cards life has dealt you, grateful for your honesty and love. We have so much in common. One day we need to play cards. A good old fashion game of War with our life experiences. At the end, we will spray the cards in the air and laugh at the perfection of the mess we get to play in. {{{Hugs}}} Kozo
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You brought back my sister for a moment, there , Rara. She was always just scraping by, in and out of rehab, relationships, responsibilities. But she always found something to laugh about to keep her going. At least for a while.
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Wow, this is simply beautiful. It reminds of the quote from Mahatma Gandhi: If I had no sense of humor, I would long ago have committed suicide.
I promise to laugh with you at your story when the time comes, when I write mine we can laugh together at that too.
Also, what an interesting idea of Schadenfreude, I never thought of it that way–as being a means to overcoming and also coming together. Awesome post.
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You’d love my grandma as she exhibited schadenfreude at the most jaw dropping situations…
If I must laugh, can I giggle while I hug you?
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I agree … awesome. Wow.
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Disturbing… true, hurting, true. I don’t want to ‘like’ the post… it’s too raw. Yet true!
Do I call it great? No… I’m seeing my reflection… which may well be sad! I’ll give you a half smile… in recognition of a fantastically truthful bit of pain! 😉
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We have to laugh! It’s our defense against the darkness. Besides, our life disasters make great after dinner anecdotes, especially after a couple of drinks 🙂
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I smiled. Is that good enough? Best I could do
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Brilliantly put.
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This! This was so completely outrageously wonderful. Cosmic Pie? Love that! And you are the only one I know that could call what you have been through “boo-boos” This made my day!
🙂 🙂
Di
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A very powerful post. It makes me sad but yeah, I get the laughing.
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No words really – this is powerful stuff. Thanks for stopping by yesterday. Here’s to lots of laughs in the future 🙂
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Really touching💓💓💓.
Don’t know how to react and you know what with this you’ve went inside the core of everyone’s heart .
You are passionate person and I really get connected with such kinds.🤗🤗hugs to you
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I will read and re-read this over and over and still find different gems I the words you’ve written. This was powerful and touching and honest and … I have no words to do it justice. But thank you for this 💛
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Thank you for reading ❤
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Greeat post thank you
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