Coping While Cracking Up and …

A TBiaN prompt response to ‘How do you cope with stress and anxiety?’

Most days, and with many events, I’m a devotee of ‘tragedy + time = comedy’.

If professional Jewish comedians can make Hitler jokes and sane ones can make Trump funnies, the least I can do in response to my life’s little — and not so little — aches and pains, is laugh.

That irregular, black, rapidly-enlarging, lumpy patch on my shin? When family and friends call me on it and say — while sporting a horrified expression — “have you seen a doctor about that?” I reply, “daily, when I look in the mirror.” I figure it this way, either it’ll go away or I will. In the grand scheme of things … same level of importance, almost.

Besides — again, in the grand scheme of things — life’s been a great run and continues to be. Almost all out of my control if I really think about it. And, as famous lay-down comedian, Jean Racine, said “Life is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel.” I’m a big thinker (LMAO) and a littler feeler, mostly (that sounds vaguely creepy I know, but I’m sure you understand).

Also, the whole “just laugh” philosophy of life I sport, works well with my other fave coping strategy, stuffing.

Oh, the nightmares I enjoy after a full day stuffing … not. 😜

Thanks Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) for the chance to lay on Freud’s couch for a minute and vent. I needed the professional help.

Ann Marie Steele 2021, Casey Botticello, J.J. Pryor, Cholia "CJ" Johnson, Ryan Fan, Roz Warren, Kylie Craft, Ellen B. Marshall, Venu, Christiana White, Christine Stevens, Dr. Christine Bradstreet, Stephanie Benjamin, MD— please play along if you wish.