We Must Laugh

I’ve shared this with some of you already:

I’ve been traveling this week, and one of my flights was genuinely terrifying. Right before takeoff, the flight attendant returned to the intercom and said this and only this: “Now is when you need to say goodbye to all those people you love so much.” 

What she meant was: “Please put your phones in airplane mode.” But, in the moments it took to clear that up, the plane went from a can full of weary strangers to a fighting force of WTFs. 

In my role as Relentless Pollyanna, I propose two take-aways from this tiny tale:

1) In a crisis, people tend to band together. Millions of people took to the streets last Saturday, and I believe our ranks will only continue to grow. (Since no one seems able to stop it, may this week’s shocking demolition at the People’s House serve to add the visual learners.)

2) We must laugh. This road is long and hard. Anything—anything!—that refuels us along the way is worthwhile. 

Thanks for reading,
Kate

Image: On a different flight, I ordered the kids’ meal, because I really wanted the Wikki Stix. In my view, making art of any kind is also a useful response to this moment. If you read Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, you will: 1) know why and 2) need to send me an email so that we can talk further. (I made the mistake of taking that book on my honeymoon, which I do not recommend. Nineteen years later, I am still married to The Most Sanguine Man on Earth only because I promised not to speak of it again.)