I missed it again. So did the rest of America.

July 1s unofficial International Joke Day came and went without fanfare.

Thats regrettable, because we could all use a good belly laugh right now which gave me an idea.

The other day, after hearing more doom-and-gloom news while driving, I said to the Apple CarPlay app on my trucks stereo, Hey, Siri, tell me a joke.

Siri, Apples voice-activated digital assistant, replied, My cat ate a ball of yarn. She gave birth to mittens.

Thats an awfully corny joke but I laughed so hard, I accidentally steered my truck onto some roadside gravel.

When you laugh like that, its impossible to be angry or to dwell on whatever personal or business challenge may hang over your head.

A belly laugh is an antidote to the self-seriousness thats one of the greatest afflictions of modern times.And with a pandemic killing thousands and crippling the economy, plus protests and social unrest, we need belly laughs more than ever.One psychologist suggests practicing laughing with a friendbecause utter seriousness can drive us to despair.

Social media gives everyone a platform to share thoughts, which is good. But some self-serious people get awfully huffy with others who disagree with or challenge their thinking. Theyre so serious and so certain that those who disagree with them are wrong, even evil, that they demonize their detractors.

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Laughter is the best medicine - Morganton News Herald