FUN AND GAMES

My Unmentionables from Medium

A badge of shame or honor?

So I wasn’t really going to share my gift out loud, or in print, or cyberspace, or whatever the heck you call this happy place where we get to romp and play and let it all hang out and/or wallow in the mud of our self-indulgence or rant about what goes on on the rest of the platform…

But then, Admiral Susan Brearley had to go and throw up that prompt, now wouldn’t she? Without any mention of the little pirate swag I got from Muddyum:

which sits proudly on my writing desk and reminds me that when I am not waxing Shakespearean:

or Kermit the Frogian, or both…

I am a badass Muddyum pirate!

So given all that, as well as my history on this platform and in this pub, I got over my shyness really fast and took the photo and put it right up there. It’s not like I’m airing my dirty laundry in public because they are so brand-spankin’ new I haven’t worn them yet.

I don’t even know if they fit because they are a size medium (fitting!) and I wear a large — even after losing the ten pounds:

Medium sent them to me in honor and recognition of the fact that I bare my soul and write about such shameful things as my sex and love addiction. Now those deep-diving posts, the serious ones are not in this pub. But you can find most of them here.

But MuddyUm taught me an exciting and lucrative lesson. Most every serious topic has a funny side. Or if not a funny side, at least a satirical side. And that making fun of something, especially myself, is a very healing thing to do. It helps me let go of both my inflated self-important ego-tripping and my wallowing in shame in one fell swoop.

Or should that be, one swell foop? As long as it’s not one swell poop, we’re okay. I take that back, I do have one swell poop story, and here it is:

You can already see how I’ve earned my unmentionable trophy U-pants. But let’s move on to the topic you’ve all been waiting for or wading for…

Don’t I write sexy, don’t I write sexy?

For someone recovering from this affliction, you might say I use writing to sublimate my addiction. That may not make any sense, but at least it rhymes! So here is an example of how I used humor to squeeze this story out of the stage of my psyche and onto the page of MuddyUm:

Experience does not an expert make — unless you’re writing satire. Then all bets are off, right? Just about anything goes…or comes, right? Anyway, my dear friend Marla Bishop and I were discussing the whole concept of cheating, and we wrote serious posts on the topic. That was the meat of the conversation. This is the dessert:

Sooner or later, I knew I had to explain sex and love addiction for the uninitiated. Or at least put my humorous slant on it. Sometimes we laugh to keep from crying. It works the other way, too, but that’s a comment for another day. For now, here you go:

Then the pandemic hit. It seemed to maybe put a damper on some people’s style in this area. But virus or no virus, there are always ways to express our sexuality creatively. And the possibilities multiplied virally when the authorities designated these boutiques essential businesses:

So now that we were all back in business, God was feeling jealous and left out. So He appointed me, of all people, yes, I know, but I have street cred there, so there! Anyway, He appointed me His designated Scribe, since He and I have deep, meaningful conversations that sometimes make it into posts. And here’s that message:

I know, I know, some of you may be thinking, what about those of us who are celibate? Maybe on purpose, maybe accidentally, or circumstantially. What about us? Well, y’all are my not forgotten soul mates, it turns out. This is my tribe of choice nowadays. And with good reason:

Now in closing, let me thank MuddyUm and Admirable Susan without whom none of this would have happened. Below are her links for the swag and brag prompts. If you think this post is too long, just remember, I combined two prompts into one! Swag and Brag. Now it’s your turn!

Here’s Ten Templates to Kick-Start Your Humor or Satire

Marilyn Flower writes political humor and satire to delight socially and spiritually conscious folks. She’s a regular columnist for the prison newsletter, Freedom Anywhere, where she writes about faith and prayer. Clowning and improvisation strengthen her resolve during these crazy times.