Mental Health Monday

Can you laugh your way out of depression & anxiety? 

I doubt it, but I do believe that you can look for humor, appreciate it, & use it to relieve some symptoms.

• I read comics & clip them. I share them w/my trophy wife & sometimes w/my co-workers at Orphan Grain Train. Some claim that my taste in comics reflects a somewhat off-kilter sense of humor, which I'm not sure is always appreciated by others. Doesn't matter. I still share clippings with the OGT office staff on what I call the "The FridayComic Blitz." It amuses me, which is consistent with my theme today.
• I enjoy jokes & anecdotes & also share some of them with my blog readers, usually under the heading of "Dept. of Shameless Joke Stealing." One of my favorite sources is "Breaking Brad," a short column of quips by Brad Dickson, which is published in the Omaha World Herald every day except MON. Here are some examples.

From 2/16:  "I wouldn't say that Girl Scouts are being aggressive in selling cookies, but they're using those metal tire spike strips that cops use in slow-speed chases."

From 2/17:  "This is interesting:  4-man Winter Olympic bobsled competitors are claiming they have more leg room than they did on the flight over." 

• Reader's Digest also provides a plethora of jokes & anecdotes. Here are some examples from Oct. 2017.

"As the business magazine Inc. discovered, all that the following company-wide e-mails from executives accomplished was ticking off their employees. SUBJECT:  System Failures. It has come to my attention that the e-mail system was down yesterday. From now on, I have requested that the system manager send a group message to everyone next time the system goes down."

"Jeopardy! is the game show for the brainy set. As you'll recall, the show supplies the answer, & the contestants respond in question form. In these cases from the past several years, they responded in questionable form. ANSWER:  By the 4th century AD, Rome had 28 public ones stacked w/rolls of papyrus. CONTESTANT'S RESPONSE:  What are public toilets? CORRECT RESPONSE:  What are libraries."

• And finally, I like to watch comedians, funny movies & TV shows. I will note * that it's almost impossible to find contemporary comedians who avoid using the F-bomb & other crude references to get cheap laughs. Check-out Timothy Hawkins on YouTube, & I think you'll find him pretty hilarious & a "clean" comedian. Among my favorite comic movies are "The Naked Gun," "Airplane" *** & "Twister." [Technically not a comedy but plenty of laughs because of the outrageous science.] Recent & current TV comedies also irk me for the same reason mentioned earlier, but here are some of my favorite comedies that you can find on Netflix:  "The Dick Van Dyke Show" & "Police Squad."

* This could qualify for a G.O.M.E.R. ** post.

** Grumpy Old Men & Their Elucidating Rants

*** Yes, I realize that there are some off-color jokes & situations, so GOMER on myself.

A Prayer for Washington's Birthday *

* Source:  My Prayer Book, Concordia Publishing House, 1957.

"Almighty God, Lord of the nations, today we commemorate the birthday of the man we honor as the first President of our country. I thank & praise You for the God-fearing citizens who served our nation in those critical early days. I thank you especially for the wise leadership of George Washington; I am grateful for the inspiration of his confession that 'no people can be bound to acknowledge & adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States.'

"While I am grateful today for all that George Washington & other great presidents have done for the good of our country, I want to acknowledge that it was your goodness, O God, that has made & kept us a great nation these many years. Teach me & my fellow citizens to remember that 'Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.' Forbid that the Christian people of our country should ever forget You, lest we lose Your favor. In Jesus' name. Amen.