Last night, Megan and I had the unique and wonderful experience of going to see a live performance by Josh Blue, winner of Last Comic Standing, at Goodnight’s Comedy Club. It was a much needed opportunity for the two of us to get out of the house and just have some good old fashioned fun with one another away from the stresses of work and trying to manage accessible transportation issues.
In fact, last night was so good for my heart, one which is regularly prone to fits of laughter, that I woke up this morning with the muscles in my cheeks and jaw still tingling with a relaxed soreness. It was indeed an exercise of smiles and belly quivering that my body as well as my soul was in dire need of.
Frankly, prior to last night’s show, I was only aware of Josh Blue and his hilarious workings only peripherally, from what I had heard through others. And I was amazed at how his show surpassed all of my expectations. I think a good part of this was independent of the fact that he is an outstanding comic, and was also because I related to many of the situations he was describing. It was indeed far more intimate because of this uncanny recognition of life with Cerebral Palsy that made my appreciation of his work even greater than I suspect other audience members.
Even more special for me, however, was the way that I was able to share such a light-hearted and belly-shaking experience with my love, Megan. Many of the situations that Josh set up in his routine were not only familiar to me, but resonated with both of us, as an inter-ability couple trying to navigate in a predominantly able-bodied world. For me, there was something special about how I saw Megan able to appreciate his comments around spasticity, describing how incompatible those of us with spasticity are in our attempts to relax into what many may consider to be normal positions.
Laughing it up after the show.
Josh Blue’s line, “Just imagine trying to make origami out of plywood,” somehow encapsulated my experience with CP, and both Megan and I seemed to be at least thirty-seconds ahead of the crowd, as we inadvertently jumped to the punch line in our minds and burst out laughing before Josh had even spoken a word.
During a conversation only days prior, Megan and I were reflecting on how vital it was for the two of us to set aside time for pure unadulterated fun. We explored how, in many ways, we were both feeling that this need to bring fun and laughter into our daily work was vital in helping us maintain a healthy balance.
This has become more and more apparent to us in recent months as we have meandered through various avenues to track down accessible transportation, an endeavor that, because of our understanding of how this would impact our ability to serve, has become weighed down by a sense of urgent necessity. Certainly not the most fun endeavor we have undertaken in recent months. We have also felt the need to reconnect and refocus around the work that we hold so vital in empowering others.
For us, fun is not only necessary, it is a core component of what makes us successful in our ability to live and love so freely and openly. It also reflects to others how they too are capable of building new possibilities when we approach life from the perspective of playful adventure.
I am looking forward, now, to the opportunity to search out more of these experiences with Megan, and laugh hand in hand as we move forward into the fun of our work and life.