A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It’s jolted by every pebble on the road.

Humour works like suspension. It does not remove the bumps; it keeps each small one from travelling straight through you. Without it, a delayed train, a curt message and a lost key all arrive at full force, and by evening you are worn out by things that were never large.

With the next small irritation, see whether you can find the absurd angle on it before you find the grievance. Not to pretend it is fine, only to keep it the size it actually is. Being around people who make you laugh does much of this for you, so leave more room for them.