There’s nothing funny about people losing their livelihoods, their homes or their dignity. There’s no humor in the collapse of the stock market, the housing market or the job market.
But with every news medium bombarding us each and every day with doom and gloom that seems to be even doomier and gloomier than the day before, and everyone we meet professionally, at the supermarket or in our neighborhoods repeating the same news as soon as we enter into a conversation, I’ve been finding myself close to collapsing under all this negative weight. If you’re like me, then you probably need a break right about now, too.
I’m not looking to hide my head in the sand. I don’t want a placebo, although the thought of a chemical numbing agent of some kind has been a tempting one. I just want a breather. A break. I just want an opportunity to not take myself, or what’s going on around me, so seriously — even if only for a brief and fleeting moment.
Plus, those of us who work in the nonprofit world also usually already are dealing with significant and demanding needs of some kind or other — whether they’re social, spiritual, cultural or environmental — and sometimes even life and death are at stake. So we’re doubly whammied when all that’s going on in the rest of the world also hits the proverbial fan.
So I decided I’d do what I often do as a matter of course, simply because I’m built that way — I’m finding something to read, watch or listen to that makes me laugh. And as I’m social-media-connected these days, I’m thinking of something funny to post or write on my Facebook and Twitter pages. As a result, I’ve found it hard to be depressed if I’m laughing, even if it’s only for a minute — or for a bit longer if I’m trying to come up with something funny to write.
So I’d like to propose two simple steps that I’ve been taking lately to help take a bit of the edge off of the recession’s realities. You might also find them helpful. You might even find them funny. If you find them both, even better.
