C is for Clown. There is a C & W song, Kathie's Clown by Reba McIntyre. That was me, I tried to make a joke of things, laughing to cover up the pain. It was my way of coping. Laughing it off and not dealing with it, is not a recovery tool. Trying to minimize something by making believe it isn't a big deal, just adds to the hurt. What is traumatic to us is traumatic, and just because our pain seems less than someone else's doesn't mean it doesn't matter. Time is a great healer. It doesn't happen over night.