Grandparents tell their disaster stories with the biggest grin. Hard years can age into good ones.

A story told with delight was not delightful at the time. The flood, the broken-down car, the year with no money: those were grim at the time, and what changed is that they were survived. Difficulty you came through becomes something you own. That conversion takes years and it does happen.

When you are in the middle of something bad, you are allowed to not find it funny yet. Keep the details anyway, since they are what make the story later. Ask an older relative for their worst year, because the grin is the useful part.