When tragedy strikes us, whether it come on suddenly like a tornado, or is more insidious and wide spread like the current pandemic, one of the ways that we cope with it is through humor. We instinctively know how much a laug shared with friends or even strangers helps us persist. Sometimes we see the best in humanity covered in a laugh. Regardless of how hard we may be working, how worried we may be, or how worn out we become, there are wonderful moments of humor that help us get through the difficult times; the humor that allows us to see and be reminded of what we share-how our shared love of laughing together, in the face of tragedy, is a powerful thing. Sharing e humor that shakes us from the grim reality when we see our belongings covered in muck, dripping and oozing heaven knows what, and no longer what we need or want them to be. Humor in those moments remind us that no matter what the tragedy, the important things, the people with whom we share our nights and days, our ability to laugh at even the most difficult of situations cannot be washed away by hurricane, or eroded through a pandemic. Below are some wonderful pictures of folks dealing with hurricane damage a few years ago.
One of the things that interests me so much about these photos is the fact that it’s humor we turn to in these horrible times. The simple explanation is that there isn’t much we can do about this calamity. We can be brought down by it, run away, or ignore the problem, or we can face the problem head on. Humor helps with the latter. After we’ve seen the situation and taken it in as best we can, and we realize there’s nothing left to do but begin the long process of recovery, that’s when humor kicks in.
I've already seen humor popping up and so have you. From the fun people have in Zoom meetings with new backgrounds, and the memes all about helping us with masks and PPE, there's lots of humor. I've seen some folks "prank" a person in a regular Zoom meeting by having all but that one person where a funny mask. That's great. I encourage you to look for ways to bring levity to you day to day. It will be helpful and make us more resilient and more willing to tackle the obstacles ahead.
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