There is certainly nothing humorous about the coronavirus pandemic. We mourn the loss of life and livliehoods. We miss our families, our sports, our jobs, and the carefree days of just eight weeks ago.

But life has gone on, albeit inside our homes, and the requisite problems of home life haven’t gone away.

Some of the stories are just plain funny and others will have you feeling grateful you don’t share the same predicaments.

There’s the family that was in the middle of having their only bathroom remodeled when the stay at home orders were called. They show a picture of their bathroom in raw form–no faucets, no sinks, no shower or toilet. You have to wonder how they overcame that obstacle.

Another family posted a picture on the same website-boredpanda.com-of a kitchen in the beginning stages of a remodel when the virus struck. They’ve been riding out the pandemic with a toaster oven, a makeshift sink, and a roll of paper towels propped on a card table.

There was the family whose kids played with the household’s entire supply of toilet paper, having a grand old time unrolling it and throwing it every which way. There’s not enough “sorrys” in the world to be forgiven for that debacle. Toilet paper is the new gold.

Someone posted a picture of a car accident 48 hours into the lockdown. Two cars collided in front of a closed gas station. The world looked like it had gone to sleep, and yet, the only two cars on the road for miles in every direction found a way to collide. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

People’s computers have blown up, refrigerator doors have fallen off, and televisions have stopped working.

One girl posted a picture to Instagram of the 60 Krispy Kreme doughnuts she had bought for the office only to find out the office was closing down when she got there. I hope she has a treadmill in her basement.

There’s the funny spoof video of someone paying for a meal with toilet paper and tipping the waitress with a bottle of Lysol.

My husband walked in from the store the other day, with not one, but two containers of Lysol wipes-the kind that kill both bacteria and viruses and I looked at him like he’d just come across the Ark Of The Covenant.

” Oh, my gosh!” I exclaimed. “Where did you get these?”

I kept looking at the wipes all day to be sure they were real. I haven’t opened them yet. They look so great on my shelf. And I’ve been offered some great trade deals from desperate people.

One woman has been complaining about her dog and her husband online and I can relate to her story. Ever since her husband began staying at home, their dog acts like he doesn’t even know her.

See VIRUS,

Page E2

From Page E1

I’m in the same boat. I tried to take our dog for a walk the other day and he refused to come with me because my husband wasn’t coming along. I’m definitely the third wheel in my house these days.

But my dog has definitely given me a good purview of his existence. I finally get why he becomes so excited when something moves outside. Or when the doorbell rings. Or when we go for a car ride. We have become something like dogs ourselves, hanging around all day waiting for something to happen.

And nature has changed. Mosquitos are waking up in different parts of the world wondering where we are. Skies in many countries have cleared of pollution and people are waking up to find mountains in their view-a view they’d been deprived of for decades.

The skies are bluer for a lot of folks around the world, so the play of light is richer and more intense. And some people are seeing stars for the first time.

I remember being in Alaska a few years ago and seeing Chinese tourists everywhere. A cab driver told me they come to Alaska to see the stars.

“They don’t have a sky anymore,” is what she said.

People who don’t like to cook are cooking again in the lockdown, making for some comic moments, with pictures of exploded potatoes, burnt chicken, and a few bottles of wine scattered about.

I think as human beings we have found a million moments through all of this where we can laugh at ourselves, and find humor in this new world we’ve found ourselves in.

As for me, I have learned that my own happiness is solely my responsibility. I think we all have to learn to find joy in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. It’s the old silver lining advice, but it’s the truth.

Just the other day, I was happy as could be over two plastic jugs of Lysol wipes.

My, how things have changed.

And so have I.