I Wish I Had Been Funnier

The blog you are reading now was launched nearly ten years ago (I started blogging a few years before that). Recently, I’ve been re-reading a lot of old posts, for a project I’m working on. Along the way I’ve been asking myself if there is anything I regret. The answer is yes, there is one thing.

I wish I had been funnier.

Not Sure Why I Forgot To Laugh

It’s always fascinating to meet people in person that we know through some online activity, like blogging or social media. People who meet me are first of all struck by my (bizarre) Australian accent and then by my relentless desire to make jokes.

But, like a lot of people, I’ve been prone to being too serious online. Maybe we are all so keen to make a good impression with our “content” (apologies for using the word), that we forget the things about us that actually make a good impression, which includes of course, our sense of humour and fun.

The tales I tell, over dinner, coffee and drinks, of these past ten years living, working and raising a child in India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan are often often, frequently bizarre and not a little incongruous. From my comically unscrupulous cable-wallah in Delhi to the Kafka-esque invasiveness that is Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower the stories I would be most likely to include in a biography are ones I often haven’t shared on the blog. They are personal, revealing and often comical.

Keep It Short And Don’t Forget To Smile

My father-in-law had a great sense of humour. He passed away some years ago now but I recall talking with him once about young church preachers. Although he was never ordained, or trained for ministry, he devoted great chunks of his life to church and charitable service.

His advice for young preachers was simple; keep it short and don’t forget to smile. Young preachers, fresh from theological study are often keen to impress, full of new found knowledge. Their sermons can drag on, be overly serious and fail to make the warm human connection that’s needed to convey great truths.

I’m not about to suggest rules for fellow bloggers. But, I do believe “remembering to smile,” to keep things warm, friendly and helpful, is something we could do more often in this age of social media and self-promotion.