A pilgrimage is a long journey of discovery, often to lands unknown. It can lead to transformation or enlightenment, and bring new energy to daily living.

So it seems that the novel coronavirus has made pilgrims of us. Are we pilgrims prepared to make the trek? There are problems to overcome, worries to surmount, and troubles to confront. The path seems as treacherous as any pothole-riddled road we have ever traveled. What will we discover, what new insights will we carry into our lives when they at long last return to what was previously normal?

Many are dealing with painful issues related to the pandemic fallout. Jobs have been lost, businesses are struggling, parents are trying to be teachers and keep the household running, young people are frustrated by the decrease in social interaction, adults are worried about paying bills and keeping supplies and food on hand as increasingly rigid regulations stymie day to day routines.

Springtime usually signals the start to outdoor sports, concerts, art shows, field days, all of the grand finales as teachers and students hurry toward the last weeks of the school year. Right now, those milestones seem like dear-departed memories.

April Fool’s Day passed us by as the month got underway, too, with little desire to indulge in the tomfoolery and nonsense it usually elicits. Without our friends and colleagues nearby, it was hard to think up pranks that could be played long distance; nor did it feel possible to put our hearts into that levity. We cannot make light of the deadly novel coronavirus and troubles endured. It is hard to put aside the difficulties that come with social distancing (as one colleague put it, “Love in the time of coronavirus…”). We want to return to those halcyon days of not so long ago when we felt confident in predicting the future.

But we still need to find reason to smile — and laughter can be a fine medicine. We can laugh, often and loudly, alone and with those we love. As early 20th century poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote in her Poems of Passion and Solitude, “Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone.”

Love, laughter, and safe practices will carry us through; let a bit of silliness lift you up:

Why did the student eat his homework? Because the teacher told him it was a piece of cake!

What did the science book say to the math book? Wow – you’ve got problems.

Why did the teddy bear say no to dessert? Because she was stuffed.

What do elephants wear to go swimming? Trunks!

What do you call a really good plumber? A drain surgeon.

Knock, knock. Who’s there? Cow. Cow who? No, cows moo.

Why do bees have sticky hair? Because they use a honey comb.

Why do sharks swim in saltwater? Because pepper water makes them sneeze.

What is the difference between elephants and grapes? Grapes are purple.

Why did the cookie visit the doctor? Because it felt crummy.

And finally…

If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?

Pilgrims.