When the news becomes too stressful, sometimes it is best to take a step back, remind yourself that you’re not alone, and find a good laugh. And if we can’t laugh at today’s news, we can always laugh at yesterday’s. For example, one anecdote from Theodore Roosevelt’s White House, the ultimate work-from-home office, talks about Roosevelt’s son Quentin bringing home some snakes to keep him company for the day. He interrupts his father’s meeting with the Attorney General to show the snakes off, then at his father’s suggestion, introduces the snakes to a group of Congressmen waiting in the next room. The largest snake, nonplussed by the excitement, crawls up Quentin’s jacket sleeve, and one of the Congressmen has to help him extract it!

Have you heard the joke about the piece of paper? (Never mind; it’s tearable.)

What about the joke about the broken pencil? (Never mind; it’s pointless.)