I had the niftiest article about humor you ever saw. Really I did. It was full of references and ideas, and was exquisitely opinionated. It was also very dull and very, very dry—I guess you could call it dry humor as compared to wet humor—but we won't go there. You will never read that article; you can thank me later.

Let's talk instead about the incredible tool that humor can be for freeing the author and stimulating creativity. Many times our daily activities leave us totally drained, without enough creative spark to light a firefly. I teach elementary school in Tucson, Arizona, and at the end of the day, I have absolutely nothing left to give. Unfortunately, My only planning period is after the students leave; that is when I need my most mental energy.

I have found that one of the best energizers is to take a moment to write bad poetry. It's quick, it's fun, it's relaxing, and is an emotional re;ease far more effective than going around the halls and whining about my day. It is incredible how much more mental energy I have to focus after taking a 10-minute journey into the absurd. For example, part of my after-school responsibilities is bus duty. We line children up on the basketball courts and await the pleasure of the bus drivers, who habitually arrive 5 to 30 minutes late. After one really lousy day, I wrote the following and sent it to a friend in the district who works in workers' compensation:

These poems will never make me rich and famous, but they do clear my mind and free my spirit. A walk into the absurd lets me go through the rest of the day with a hidden chuckle.

The next time you are stuck in traffic, are sitting for hours in your doctor's office, or have writer's block and are sitting in front of a blank computer screen, don't reach for that sledgehammer. WRITE. Don't worry about quality. Exaggerate! Whine! Complain! Have some fun! You will be amazed at the liberating power that laughter and creativity bring.