It has been a depressing couple of weeks.

The news from Japan about the devastating earthquake and tsunami literally brought tears to my eyes, and if that weren’t enough, a crippled nuclear plant there has leaked radioactive material that’s tainted some of their food and supply.

Elsewhere in the world, where to begin? Libya is still a mess and the United States is involved in that. An earthquake hit Myanmar near the China and Thailand borders. There are deadly anti-government protests going on in Syria. And a million people have just fled the commercial capital city of Ivory Coast amid fears of war there. Oh, and don’t forget the rival demonstrations in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the United States is grinding away at wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that seem as if they’ll never end.

Working in the news business for as long as I have, I’ve learned not to get emotionally involved with the bad news, to keep a professional distance, so to speak. I do get to write about a lot of good news — people conquering cancer, helping the needy and any number of good deeds and random kindnesses.

But now and then I need a diversion from the harsh reality of our world.

That’s why I keep a stash of emails handy. You know the ones I’m talking about: the jokes and inspirational stories that get circulated in cyberspace by old classmates and well-meaning relatives.

I have a couple of girlfriends who are relentless in their pursuit to share these seemingly sappy stories, goofy cartoons and strange trivia. My sister-in-law recently sent a collection of photos from a guy who does amazing three-dimensional artwork on sidewalks. That actually was kind of fascinating.

I never have time to read all the things that are sent my way, so I usually put them in a folder for later, a kind of rainy-day stash. As I was going through old emails recently I had to laugh at some of the jokes and stories I’d collected. I actually felt better after going through some of those schmaltzy sentiments. It was a good reminder to take time out to see the lighter side of life.

There certainly are ways to help out when tragedies such as the one in Japan hit. We can donate money, and some people are able to travel to disaster sites to help with recovery. But most of us physically can’t do much about the collective woes of the world.

So in an effort to do my part to lighten the mood amid some very serious global news, I’m sharing a joke about old age, sent to me from a high-school classmate in Minnesota:

A little silver-haired lady calls her neighbor and says, “Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can’t figure out how to get started.”

Her neighbor asks, “What is it supposed to be when it’s finished?”

The little silver-haired lady says, “According to the picture on the box, it’s a rooster.”

Her neighbor decides to go over and help with the puzzle.

She lets him in and shows him where she has the puzzle spread all over the table.

He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says, “First of all, no matter what we do, we’re not going to be able to assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster.”

He takes her hand and says, “Secondly, I want you to relax. Let’s have a nice cup of tea, and then,” he said with a deep sigh, “Let’s put all the corn flakes back in the box.”

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.