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In face of flood fatigue, simple steps can help

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Flooding photos

Severe storms and flooding have caused problems locally and statewide. If you have been affected, we want your photos. Send us your photo.

To view a gallery of photos of the flooding taken by Gazette photographers, click here.

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JANESVILLE — In 1922, poet T. S. Eliot penned these famous words: "April is the cruelest month."

If Eliot had lived to see June 2008, he might have felt differently.

First came bad news from General Motors. It was quickly followed by bad news from Lear, LSI, Gilman and other local companies.

Then it rained—and rained and rained and rained—until June became one of the rainiest months on record.

Next, the water started to rise, turning parks into swamps, streets into rivers and basements into natural disasters.

If Eliot was still alive, he'd be attending economic summits, drying out his socks and looking for a rhyme for "paludal"—a word that means damp and miserable.

So how do we revive our flagging spirits? It's a tricky prospect.

If you've lost your job to cutbacks—or your home or business to flooding—it will take a lot more than cheerful suggestions and an afternoon out to make everything all better.

We know that. But we've got to start someplace.

Here, then, are some simple ideas that might help lift spirits.

1. Reach out to your neighbors.

Plenty of folks stepped up to sandbag, but clean-up will bring even more challenges.

Offer something practical to flooded-out neighbors—even if you don't know them.

It's not rocket science. Say, 'Hello, my name is ____. Could I help you by bagging up trash? Taking debris to the dump? Hosing off your driveway and sidewalk? Bringing you a large pizza?"

Even if they say no, the offer will lift their spirits.

Patronize a business that was affected by flooding. It's a small thing, but the presence of new customers and old friends will help.

2. Embrace life's absurdity at the Hedberg Public Library.

Who ever thought gas would be $4 a gallon—and going up? Who ever thought carp would swim upstream on North Main Street? And who could have imagined the Rock River would end up a few feet from the library's back doors?

It's ridiculous and calls for something equally ridiculous—but a lot funnier.

Something like Ma and Pa Kettle at the State Fair.

Or Larry, Curly and Moe working construction.

Or all of the Marx Brothers, two maids, a ship's engineer, the engineer's assistant, somebody's niece, another maid, three waiters and a manicurist in a ship's cabin the size of a broom closet.

All of those characters and situations can be found at the Hedberg Public Library's DVD collection.

Or, if books are more your thing, Dewey Decimal System number 741.59 features collections of comics ranging from Krazy Kat to Calvin and Hobbes.

You'll also find collections of Charles Addams cartoons at 741.59. Addams created the "Addams' Family" characters, and is the master of the absurd.

3. Spend some time at Rotary Botanical Gardens.

Then go again.

Repeat until desired effect is achieved.

The gardens have attracted national attention for their collections, but a surprising number of local residents have never wandered through its gates. It's as though they think it's just another city park instead of a 20-acre, ever-changing landscape of perennials, woody plants, bulbs, mosses and hundreds of thousands of seasonal plantings.

And here's the best part: Within the natural walls of the garden, it's easy to forget the chaos and disappointments of June. The quiet walks are a tonic for bruised spirits.

Admission is free, but the suggested donation is $5.

4. And, as one final idea...

Come up with ideas of your own to lift the spirits of your neighbors and friends.

We'll never get June back, but July and August are opportunities we shouldn't miss.