Got to laugh to keep from crying

You’ve got to laugh to keep from crying

After learning of some upsetting political news, I called a mentor of mine. He shut me down from obsessing about it by recounting something his father used to say. “You’ve got to laugh to keep from crying.”

Truly, my fretting about this news would have accomplished nothing. My angst would only have fueled itself, keeping me further from inner peace.

I’d like to suggest, at least for today, that we collectively take a break.

G.K. Chesterton wrote “Angels can fly because they can take themselves lightly.”

Worrying about the future isn’t going to help at all.

(I’m not saying to NOT be involved in the world. Please be involved in the world, but, also take a moment to laugh.)

So here are some things that I hope make you laugh.

A favorite cartoon:

A favorite joke

How many Freudian therapists does it take to change a light bulb?

Two. One to hold the light bulb and the other to hold the penis.

I mean father.

I meant to say ladder.

The funniest TED talk I have seen. I literally was laughing out loud.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Uc-cztsJo

And, if you like dark humor, might I suggest Anthony Jeselnik’s standup on Netflix. (If you don’t like dark humor or even hesitate to answer yes, please do not click on the link.)
https://www.netflix.com/title/80043049

Flash Bang

February 6, 2026

✧✧✧ My buddy Marc meets me near my house at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon so we can bike to the small park named for Elizabeth Caruthers. I looked her up as I started to write this article. Elizabeth Caruthers was an early pioneer woman whose Supreme Court case led to the 1850 Donation Act—ruling that a woman, married or not,

Hiawatha Johnson, JR.

January 31, 2026

January 2026 — Portland, ORE Hiawatha Johnson, Jr., a mentor and friend died. Summer 1985 — Magic Camp Oakdale, Long Island I’m 15. He’s 30. He wears a dashiki. He uses a walking stick. I’m prepubescent. I listen to comedy cassettes on a Walkman. I’m in awe. ✧✧✧ I perform a rather banal magic act that year — me narrating

The Delay

January 14, 2026

2026 issue #03 — The Delay I’m in my buddy David’s car. He’s driving me from my mom’s apartment in NYC to Newark, NJ, where I’m going to catch a plane back home to Portland. David and I have been friends for fifty years. Amazing. My phone dings. I look at it. Nothing important. Just an alert from United. *

Got to laugh to keep from crying