Don't lose the gifts of humor and satire

Humor and satire are two things that humans rely on to keep their sanity in situations where everything is unraveling. What kind of situations? Virtually everything and everywhere: On the battlefield, in political controversies, natural disasters such as the recent hurricanes, in schools, hospitals, romances, even in prisons.

Hurricane Katrina left a trail of death and devastation in New Orleans and other Gulf Coast communities. As tragic as the situation is, many residents have found a sense of humor and satirical comments somehow help them to cope with their difficulties.

Here are a few examples that my brother came across during his stay in New Orleans while helping hurricane survivors cope with their losses and grief:

You know you live on the Gulf Coast when:

? You have FEMA's number on your speed dialer.

? You have more than 20 C and D batteries in your kitchen drawer.

? You're thinking of repainting the house to match the plywood covering the windows.

? You're delighted to pay $3 a gallon for unleaded.

? The road leading to your house has been declared a no-wake zone.

? You catch a 5-lb. catfish in the driveway.

? Three months ago you couldn't hang a shower curtain; today you can assemble a portable generator by candlelight.

? You can recite from memory whole portions of your homeowner's insurance policy.

? You've pondered the meaning of the word "mandatory."

? At parties, women are attracted to the guy with the biggest chain saw.

? You plant trees, all the while thinking of how tall they will get and what they will hit if they fall. Still, you plant them anyway.

? Candles and oil lamps have lost all their romantic associations.

? You're concerned over the weather in the Cape Verde Islands.

? You've driven north in the southbound lane of an Interstate and weren't worried about getting arrested or running into oncoming traffic.

? Your barbecue grill has more than just recreational uses.

? The sound of the air conditioner, running at long last, gives you a warm fuzzy feeling.

? You've started painting hurricane shapes on your plywood like bombs painted on WWII bombers.

? Ice is a valid topic of conversation.

? Relocating to North Dakota doesn't seem like such a crazy idea.

Please don't get the idea I'm diminishing the unimaginable degree of human suffering and grief.

I'm just trying to show the saving grace of humor that the human spirit is capable of. If we ever lose that innate coping gift, we're really in trouble.