“ I am A Pig From Hell”

There is a famous scene in Steel Magnolias where Clariee (Olympia Dukakis) offers up Ouisa ( Shirley McClaine) to be slapped by a grieving M’lynn ( Sally Field). 

It’s an important scene as it not only lightens the mood of a very difficult time in the narrative but it also underlines the importance of humour, when used for good at otherwise dreadful times.

I met a friend for brunch today.

She is literally dizzy with grief, so over coffee and a cooked breakfast she sort of vomited out her thoughts and feelings until she had almost run out of steam , like a clock.

I then felt it time for a bit of frivolity, I’m pretty good at judging when frivolity is appropriate.

I had recently received a message from a mutual friend which mentioned the world CLUNGE I had never heard the word before , even though I could hesitate a guess at its meaning  

I asked my friend what she knew and without thinking and in her best and very loud Miss Jean Brodie voice she picked up her phone, logged into Google and enunciated very clearly 

“ CLUNGE…….C. L. U. N. G. E …….CLUNGE !” 

Now we were sitting in the very busy and very select cafe in Llandudno at the time and my friend’s voice was rather too loud and very quickly the place went almost silent

Apparently  CLUNGE is not a very nice word .

Our subsequent fists-in -mouth muted hysteria was the ideal release my friend needed 

We laughed until we almost cried