I ran into a writer friend of mine at Trader Joe's the other day. My friend is very nice but struggles with melancholia, so I like to try to cheer him up.
"How wonderful to see you!" I said. "Did you have a fun summer?"
"No,"he said. "I spent the summer defending my house from woodpeckers."
"Woodpeckers are so cute!" I said.
"They're destructive," he said. "They poke giant holes in my siding and make so much noise I can barely concentrate on my writing."
"You sound depressed," I said.
"I am," he said.
"There must be some way to make this fun," I said. "Since birds are technically dinosaurs, you should tell people you spent your summer defending your house from dinosaurs."
"You sure are full of bright ideas this morning," he said.
"Seriously," I said. "You should take a picture of yourself dressed like a caveman and then post it on your Facebook page. It will get you lots of attention and help your writing career."
"I don't do Facebook," he said.
"Why not?" I said. "Facebook is a valuable career-building tool for a writer like you."
"I don't have time for Facebook," he said."I'm too busy defending my house from woodpeckers."
"Dinosaurs," I said. "You're defending your house from dinosaurs."
"Okay, dinosaurs," he said.
"Now, didn't I just make you feel like your life is a TEENY bit more fun?" I said.
A smile played across his lips. "Maybe."
"See? I'm like a woodpecker poking holes in the siding of your depression," I said.
"I guess that would be one way of looking at it," he said.