So the last few weeks have been sharing in this feed. The weekly note I write for cafe insiders. I've heard from many who appreciate hearing the audio version. So here is this week's always I love to hear from you. Write me letters of CAFE Dotcom dearly I hope your finding ways to get through these difficult times to remain socially close to the people you care about. Even if you must be physically distant I hope you're following the news, but not obsessively, I hope your true. The virus, but not exclusively. In other words, help you are able to find some balance in the midst of all this isolation and heart, breaking news week as I've said, was an especially difficult one for my family Six thirty am in March twenty. Third, we got that my Father in law had passed three hours later. I was scheduled to take her stay tuned interview with Annie Slab it the form acting head of the centres for medical care and medical services were CMS about. The latest

s learning. Regarding the the virus in the country's response. Andy has been a fond of critical information. Delivered rationally and credibly he's also person of action, not just words I felt it was an important interview I wanted my listeners to have the benefit of Andy's wisdom, and so why cancelled everything else. I had schedule that data be with my family. I did the interview as Ex did over the course of our anti patient in crisply broke down an array of issues from the scarce P p to the effect said mitigation strategies to the severity of the economic stresses we are facing. That was important, but nothing. He said to me after we taped that was important too Thinking about it, a lot since what said. Was this: you don't have to talk about corona virus twenty four seven, it's ok, the talk about other things too, and you should- and there was something else he said can't be serious all the time.

when things are said we need to able to laugh to an that's, ok, the rest of the morning and afternoon was spent reminiscing about my father in law, grieving his loss tending to famine business with cable news, all the while narrating the global tragedy in the background sadness in a time of sadness, as I said last week, just before dinner, my mind went back to what Andy had said: it gave me an idea I reached out to micro, bigger whom I met in twenty. Seventeen at Montreal Comedy Festival MIKE is a professional comedian, but more than that he's a storyteller who spends thoughtful and charming narratives, hilariously at his own expense and often relating to his own serious health crises. So texted him an invitation. Let's take something human funny. For my part, I said we need break, sometimes from pure covered nineteen news and that's how one week stay tuned guest inspired the choice

for the following weeks: Guest Andy, which, by the way, we're not an epiphany we're just a reminder less than a year ago. In this very space, I wrote not the role of humor and dark times and in serious places quote It's true that the stresses in our constitutional system are dead serious, but there can be after at a funeral anti. At a comedy, show. road and doing justice, laughter and books in some environments, say and high stakes trial on an operating room running literary mission. may seem horrendously off key inappropriate and disrespectful That is not always so the reason every pressure cooker needs are released, valve the episode with Micro Bigley a drop this morning. I don't expect everyone to love it, though I did As my himself observes comedy is tragedy plus time and timing is different for everyone

I remember from time to time one of the saddest funerals I ever attended more than fifty years ago when I was a line prosecutor at nasty and why got the news in the middle of a proper session, with an acute murderer, we were trying to flip. The three year old son of one of my. And at the office died in his sleep. It was inconceivable. My daughter was also three at the time I left the office to go. Home though it was only the middle of the day. It was so try chicken unexpected many of us found. hard to work the next few days there. Nothing more sad said the funeral of a child, but we all went And I will never forget when my friend got. Two eulogise his son. I wondered How is he even able to stand. There was audible sobbing in the pews, but my friend got up and he did not cry He didn't want us to only cry that day.

He told story after story happy stories hilarious stories of all the good times when his family was hole and we laughed. Not because we felt obliged, but because it was funny. I don't think I've ever seen. Someone be so strong and brave, as friend was that day after that we all followed. sad small coffin to the burial ground. There was on equable grief all round, but there was laughter that day too, and there was provided by the boys own father, we all manage differently not everyone uses the same south. for some of you may be music or poetry or fiction or art hopeful It's some combination for my own part, I am treating myself more comedy. Lately, I've been so off the news to extend? specials, my Bigley is among them. Have you listen debates on Spotify and dont tell the president, but lately when

what has press conferences start? I instead want episode of Larry David's Croupier, your enthusiasm. That may not be we want a cup of tea, but I think it's pretty damn good per day. Prince good pretty good, yeah well and behind my best Crete Yes, let us know what you do to deal with these challenging times: write to us at letters Cafe: dot com?