From The President

School's out for summer!  The bright yellow busses are parked for the season, the classrooms are closed, and best of all, there's no homework!  Vacation has started and it's time for fun!

Summer -- the best time of the year!

So why are so many of us not feeling the joy? What happened to the wonder of summer vacation? We were so excited about even the prospect of having fun when we were kids -- now we're complaining about the heat!  What happened to us?

Somewhere between childhood and the space we're in right now, we've lost something. Something vital, something important.  Kids still have a handle on it: they're capable -- I'd even say determined -- to wrest every bit of joy they can out of the world, each and every day.

Particularly in the summer!

What can we learn from the kids? What is there about their experience -- or our own remembered experiences -- that we can use to ensure that we have a little bit more joy and happiness in our lives?

Let's answer that question with a question. What do kids do in the summer?

They play.

It's as simple --and as difficult -- as that.  We fill our calendars and planners with appointment, work, and a never-ending list of to-dos; but how many of us schedule time for play?

I can hear you now.  "There's no time for playing! I have serious things that have to be taken care of.  If I don't do these things, no one will do them!"

Children have permission to play. They've done what they've needed to do -- survived another year of elementary school, successfully navigating between math homework, soccer practice, and the social landmine field of the cafeteria.  Summer vacation is their reward: their time to relax, unwind, and have fun.

Who gives us permission?  If you look for permission, it's hard to find: our employers certainly aren't lining up to say "Go play! Go play!"  (This is doubly true for those of you who are self-employed!)  For all of the supposed libertine, pleasure seeking aspects of our culture, we're remarkably Puritanical when it comes to work: taking time to play seems inherently wrong, selfish, foolish.

And yet it is so very, very necessary.

O. Carl Simonton, head of the Simonton Cancer Institute, observed that one of the unifying characteristics -- the trait that the vast majority of his patients had in common --was that they didn’t have any play or fun in their lives.

A recent conversation I had with Patch Adams reinforced the point.  Patch reminded me that humor and play are a form of social glue.  The most popular person at a party is not the person who has the most money, or the best clothes, or the most social standing -- it's the person who is the most fun to be around.  We honor that person with our language, calling them the 'life of the party.'

Think about that for a moment.  The life of the party -- the essence of celebration, the personification of joy -- is the person who for, if even for a moment, forgets about the 'shoulds' and 'musts' and gives themselves the rarest gift of all: the permission to enjoy themselves, to have fun, to play.

How do we do what they do? How do we get started?

 

Patch Adams says "Play starts with a twinkle in the eye, a smile on your face, and a willingness to greet."  That's something we can all do: a smile today opens the doorway to a laugh tomorrow, a playful moment the day after that.

Simonton, disturbed by his patient's lack of play, had his patients develop a "Play List”—a list of at least 20 things that they found fun to do.  Half of the items on the list needed to cost under $5.

That way, when people were feeling down or under the weather, they could look at the list they had developed and choose one thing on their list that they would do.  This would make them feel better.  Feeling better didn't necessarily mean they felt like doing cartwheels down the sidewalk, but still, they felt better than before they had engaged in play.

 

Sit down with your family or friends and develop your own play list. Make an agreement with yourself that you’re going to incorporate more play and that you are going to incorporate more humor and fun into your life, not just during this summer vacation—but always.

Why should the kids have all the fun?

Yours in laughter!

 

Karyn Buxman

AATH President 2009-2011

 

Membership Corner :

by Mary Kay Morrison - AATH Membership Chair   

Humor Connection Membership Report - June 2009

Knock, Knock!”  “Who’s there?”  “Cash” “Cash Who?”

“I didn’t know you were nuts!”

Please invite all the nuts you know to join AATH with the rest of the cashews, pecans, and walnuts.  The peanut gallery loves to hear from you, so please send your recruitment ideas to Janet Wilson our new recruitment chair at jmwilson@uneedspeed.net

This month is chock full of nutty tidbits from the Rocking Membership Team:

• January Jones reminds jesters to contact their jestees asking them about their plans for having fun this summer.  Net

• Networking continues through the interest groups coordinated by Deb Hart  Please email her for more information or if you would like to help facilitate a group. 

• Janet Wilson and her recruitment team have made numerous contacts this month.   Please send any ideas for new members to Janet!

• Enid Schwartz continues to coordinate the retention team as she and her husband travel around the country in their RV.   Way to go Enid! 

• We are starting to use WIKI as a tool to help coordinate our membership efforts.  We can always use more volunteers for our membership team!  Let me know if you would like to be involved!  mkmorris@kidsroe.org

In a nutshell, we are excited to share the benefits of AATH with you each month.  You are welcome to join our volunteer team!  We always have room for a few good nuts! 

Today’s might oak is just yesterday’s nut that held it’s ground!

 

 

Humor Connection:

 

EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

The official member publication of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH), The Humor Connection is electronically published 12 times a year and sent to your e-mail address.  The e-HC contains informative features, Member News, and our e-zine with links to the latest news and research . Its purpose is to educate AATH members about the industry, to represent AATH before an international audience, to communicate Member News, and to have fun in the process.

While our members are diverse in their backgrounds, they are united in their passion for the values, application, and therapeutic uses of humor, laughter, and play. Targeted audiences hail from educational, business, faith community, health care, psychology, social service, and family science backgrounds.

Manuscript Submissions
Articles that specifically address the needs and concerns of our members are favored over generic articles that could appear in a multitude of publications.

Content should target the professional, personal, or ethical development of readers and should represent a standard of excellence and expertise consistent with the purpose of AATH.

The Editorial Advisory Board accepts material written by AATH members in good standing. In the future, the editor (or someone assigned by the editor) may invite submissions from authors outside the membership.

Bylines and Author Credit
Bylines will accompany each contribution. In addition, author contact information will follow each article, op-ed piece, and review.

Manuscript Content
Submissions to The Humor Connection may be in the form of articles, book and website reviews, editorial opinion (op-ed), letters to the editor, and Member News.

Articles
Subject matter may include (but is not limited to) the following:

•   Humor and Health
•   Humor and Relationships
•   Humor and Business
•   Humor and Aging
•   Humor and Religion/Spirituality
•   Humor and Education
•   Humor and Diversity/Culture/International Issues
•   Humor and Ethics
•   Clowning
•   Humor Applications
•   Humor Research
•   Member Interviews
•   Book Reviews

Book and Web Site Reviews

Written by knowledgeable persons selected by the editor, book and Web site reviews inform readers in areas relevant to the discipline. Reviews deemed hurtful to authors will not be printed.

Reviews are limited to 350 words and submitted as an attachment in Microsoft Word format.

Opinion/Editorial (Op-Ed)

Op-Ed pieces reflect the view of the author. We welcome opinions about the association, its communication devices and educational activities, and the humor field. Opinions considered potentially damaging to an identifiable individual will not be considered.

Op-Ed pieces are limited to 500 words.

Letters to the Editor

We encourage communication from readers. Anonymous submissions will not be considered. Letter selection remains at the editor's discretion .

Member News

Member News recognizes individual achievements. Member News has limited space in The Humor Connection , and we will print as many as space permits. Submissions must be 50 words or less, in press release format, and should describe an event/achievement that has already occurred. Member News items may be of the following type:

• National (in the United States or abroad) award/recognition. The award must be bestowed by a national association, organization, corporation, etc. Local chapters of national organizations do not fit in this category.
  
• National TV/radio coverage, including syndicated and cable networks with national coverage.
• Association-related activities, including chapter highlights, regional events, special projects, and the like.
• Books and tapes published and distributed nationally or internationally. This does not include books, tapes, or manuals given or sold to audience members, or materials produced for a particular company. It also does not include printed, audio, or video anthologies, even those published by national publishers. We will not accept notices of upcoming events; we will only run notices after a book/article has been published.
• Speeches, tapes, books, manuals, videos, and the like created for clients are considered work contracts and will not be mentioned in Member News.
• Speaking engagements will not be listed in Member News.

Manuscript Preparation

Length

• Articles: 750 words or less, not including references
• Reviews: 350 words or less, not including references
• Op Ed: 350 words or less, not including references
• Letters: 100 words or less, not including references
• Member News: 50 words or less, not including references

Format
All submissions must be sent electronically as an attachment in Microsoft Word format (or ASCII format). Submissions should be directed to the editor at hc@aath.org

References
The Humor Connection is edited according to American Psychological Association (APA) style. References are encouraged and must be included when words have been quoted exactly from a source. Full text citations will be placed at the end of the submission.

Writing Style
Our membership has a wide range of specialties. Please avoid jargon and technical terms specific to a particular industry. Acronyms should be spelled out on first use.

Ethical, ethnic, and prejudicial statements and implications should be carefully scrutinized prior to submission. All self-promoting references must be omitted (e.g. "for more information, contact." "I'm offering a special discount on my services...").

Gender-inclusive language is essential (e.g., "he or she" rather than "he"). Use plural pronouns to avoid the awkwardness of he or she whenever possible.

Write succinctly and clearly. Be positive and conversational in your approach. Favor the active voice over the passive.

Review Process

Upon electronic submission, you will receive confirmation of receipt of your manuscript. The editor and his/her appointees will review the manuscript. Submission of an article or news item does not guarantee publication. Submissions will not be returned. We urge authors to keep a file copy when submitting an article or news item to AATH.

Contact The Humor Connection Editor with any questions: hc@aath.org, or the AATH office at 888-747-AATH (2284) Toll Free or 949-715-4681 International.

Conditions of Acceptance

AATH has a one-time use and author retains the copyright and has the right to publish articles on our website.

Because of time constraints, we do not send galley copies or edited forms of manuscripts to authors. Manuscript submission implies author agreement with this policy.

The Humor Connection does not pay for manuscripts. Published articles from members are considered contributions to the discipline.