Life is short so you should enjoy yourself as much as possible.
And sometimes you have to go to events out of obligation.
And sometimes at those events you can be unlucky and not find a conversation that flows or covers topics in an enjoyable manner to yourself.
Therefore I think it’s a great skill to be able to maintain a presence in polite society while also still enjoying yourself.
One idea that springs to mind is to exercise those demons in a mild manner and deliberately kill the mood.
So, you take the lead from whatever was said last and say:
That reminds me of my uncle.
(pause)
But they died.
(then if you are feeling cheeky enough and want to go in for the kill)
Yep they died… Died of butt cancer.
(examine the room for reactions)
Nothing makes a sombre mood like death but also delivering these lines about a fictional relative could make yourself laugh. So, lower the mood as much as is enjoyable without getting caught.
Thomas Duggan 