There is a quartet of bookcases lining one wall of my home office, packed with books by Stephen King and Hunter Thompson and Peter Straub and many more. Not exactly lighthearted reading.

A perusal of my most-listened to artists on Spotify brings up Pearl Jam and Metallica and the Smashing Pumpkins, an array of the grunge bands I listened to during my college years not far behind. Not exactly lighthearted listening.

And when I have sat down at times over the last 20-plus years to write a novel or short story, my imagination has led me to haunted houses and cursed kingdoms. Not exactly lighthearted writing.

And yet.

The show I rewatch the most, to the point it’s become a running joke between my wife and I, is The Office. Even there, of course, much of the humor stems from the cringeworthy situations Michael Scott puts himself and his employees in.

But the show still finds the humor in those moments. It’s serious when it needs to be–Jim and Pam’s romance, Michael’s search for a soulmate–but in the long run, it doesn’t take anything too seriously.

Whatever profound insights there are, they come from finding the humor in those situations.

I want to find the humor too.