In these troubled times, I can think of no better refuge than humor. Comedians (many, though not all) can provide the antidote to our soulful malaise when we are beset with a barrage of tumultuous "slings and arrows". My personal go-to of late has been Dame Edna Everage. She is the wonderfully crafted fictitious character of a comic genius from Australia by the name of Barry Humphries. Her politically incorrect flamboyance exudes a contagious joyfulness that no vaccine can suppress. The secret to her success, as she has often said, "is my ability to find humor in the misfortune of others". Those who find that heartless or insensitive should try it on themselves once in a while. It beats the hell out of self-pity.

Another comedian of note these days is Volodymyr Zelensky. He is the one time stand-up comic who has become Ukraine's stand-up hero against the Russian invasion of his beloved country. He should serve as an inspiration on both a micro & macro level to those who are confronted by bullies. God willing, the day is near when Zelensky returns to the stage as a stand-up comic. For the time being, the gap war continues and the joke is on Putin.

Why the gap war? Because it has filled the gap between the end of the American football season and the beginning of baseball. Heartless, I know. My apologies!