The sky is gray today. A dash of dirt fouls the perfect blue of days long past.

I remember when jets were rare, propeller planes dominated the atmosphere, and skywriters created their art overhead before dropping it into our astonished eyes.

Don’t worry, I’m about to scrub the air clean and make you laugh a bit.

Things have changed. While they always do, many of these alterations have caught us off guard.

What do we do about it? I don’t mean improve the climate or our politics, but manage our attention, emotion, and the focus of our thoughts.

Humor is essential.

With that in mind, here are some suggestions:

Distraction, for example, takes several forms.

Travel to new places where the skies are still blue, art museums flourish, the food is delicious, and buildings withstand the test of time.

All you need are some air traffic controllers who are getting paid.

Alcohol and drugs are staples of self-distraction and self-destruction diets. An intoxicating choice.

Dance until you drop.

Memorize Edgar Allen Poe’s old poetry, like The Raven and The Conqueror Worm. These will make you think life today is far more delightful.

Persuade yourself that climate change is fake, God will save you because you are faithful, and those who suffer when The Iceman Cometh deserve what they get.

I’m not referring to the 1939 Eugene O’Neill play of the same name.

Meditate, of course, and watch sitcoms, too, perhaps simultaneously.

Refrain from reading newspapers, even online, and let the algorithms take you to calming, amusing, optimistic topics only.

Stay away from friends and relatives who want to talk about the dark side of life. If you can’t avoid them, carry a lantern to lighten and illuminate your mood.

Forget about Diogenes, an ancient Greek founder of cynicism. He carried a lamp during the daytime to help find an honest man.

Have sex at least three times a day. Partners not required.

Wear a blindfold so you exchange the metaphorical darkness for some real dark. Adopt a seeing-eye dog, who will give lots of love without the evening news report.

Prepare to move to the South Pole. Start by getting a top-flight air conditioner and wearing heavy clothes and jackets. Practice building snowmen to provide social contact.

Hallucinatory conversations will take care of themselves.

Recall the worst date you ever endured. Phone the person and invite them out for another try. This will distract you from the state of the world.

Bring aspirin anyway.

If you haven’t called your mother for a while, do so and receive the well-deserved guilt-trip. You will feel better once the berating ends.

Eat your favorite ice cream as rendered by its best manufacturer. As an alternative, buy superb chocolate and enjoy yourself.

When the administration defunds something you need, like health insurance or food assistance, remember there is fun in defunding, just not for you.

To close, the ultimate solution to living in our times.

Imagine you are Sisyphus, the ancient Greek punished by Zeus. The poor fellow had to push a giant boulder up a hill for eternity. He continued without end because the weighty rock always rolled down.

If you compare that to every job you have had, including your time of unemployment, it will be a step up.

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The top image is Diogenes by Bert-olgun, sourced from tonpool.com.

Beneath that is Sisyphus. It is the work of Hasanisawi and sourced from Wikimedia.org.