COPING WITH COVID 19; HOW ABOUT A DOSE OF LAUGHTER

I've had an epiphany or as Oprah says, an "Ah ha moment".  I have become numb to all the death and dying, heartache and suffering in my, OUR world today.  Oh I still cry at the drop of a hat as I always have when I see or hear something that moves me.  Heck I even cry sometimes when I attempt to sing along with a song I hear which stirs my emotions.  When I see news stories of the brave women and men on the frontlines of fighting this horrible pandemic I cry.  When I see lists of names of those who died because of Covid 19 I cry.  Emmy and Lee are reprimanding and shaming me for leaving my used tissues all around the house, as they should!  Still I feel as though I'm watching some sort of Sci-Fi movie, though I'd never watch such a film.  But somehow I feel this calamity is something happening out side of me, somewhere out there, still I know it's real.  The numbness comes I think from the bombardment of news reports, talking heads and pundits relating stories and opinions of the very grave time in which we are living.  This simply can't be good for one's psyche.  So like many I've taken to my phone, reading Instagram posts and playing word games and games of solitaire and desperately trying to learn Italian on Duolingo.  I've watched documentaries and movies on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime that in normal times I would most likely not have seen.
The professor, author, political journalist and advocate for world peace Norman Cousins detailed the powerful benefits of "laugh therapy" in his 1979 book Anatomy of an Illness.  
Cousins attributed his cure of two very serious illnesses partially to watching comedy films and laughing.  Subscribing to his advice I've taken to the streaming services to ease my fears, anxiety and sadness about this terrible situation we are all in.  I've rewatched all seven seasons of Designing Women on Hulu hearing my own Southern accent thicken and vacillating between affecting the personas of those four feisty belles.  I've viewed countless hilarious so called "chic flicks" with plot lines of moms' nights out and female road trips.  Hey whatta you want, I'm a gay guy who embraces his feminine side!  So my advice to you is turn off CNN, MSNBC and Fox News and relegate your news intake to the morning and evening news programs or a few newspaper articles and the rest of the time watch some silly movie or TV show.  Better yet, bury yourself in a good book!  And please share this advice and post with your family and friends.  Please stay safe and well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1fbQSf2jSI