We all remember the old adage about apples and avoiding the doctor and personally, this ideal does seem to hold true, even though I think my true aversion to the doctor lies in just being a guy and being too stubborn to go when it is necessary. What about avoiding the blues or minimizing stress, though? There is little in the way of food that is a sure fire cure for the common day to day psychological or emotional challenges that many of us face. Women may contend that chocolate is a good start, while us guys might favor a nice cold beer, but I think these really just mask the issue at hand. Why not humor as the antidote for the blues? I can honestly say that a good joke is always a good way to suppress those down feelings, bringing credence to the 'Laughter is the best medicine' adage that one may also hear from time to time. If I'm feeling down, I just need to pop in one of my favorite comedy CD's or check out the assortment of free jokes available online and a smile quickly replaces whatever less savory facial expression had preceded it. Humor is not just a good tonic for you own personal sanity. Try it out on friends, loved ones, or even someone you're trying to get to know a little better. In fact, I'm going to offer you the Chameleon approach to curing the blues. Not patented, not copyrighted, but effective all the same. Step One is to identify your target, someone who, in your opinion, needs a little cheer. Step Two is to send that person a joke a day for an entire week. Use either your own personal library of humor or feel free to look elsewhere if you don't know a lot of jokes. The key is to be consistent. Step Three is to talk to that person after the week is up and just see if they don't feel a little better about things. Equal parts humor and just knowing that someone is thinking about them on a daily basis can make a huge difference in someone's life and I encourage you to try it. It may not work in the long haul or permanently fix someone's problems but it may be all you can do at any given moment and that's a pretty good start. Just a humble urban redneck's two cents worth and until next time.....