05.24.08
Trust & Risk
“All trust involves Risk” I saw on a sign outside a church today. Seems that is also true in comedy, and also when trying out our humor muscles and skills in everyday situations (especially with strangers; I know we’re not supposed to talk to strangers, but no one ever said we can’t joke with them!).
I remember my very first joke I ever did in public. It was my first piano recital, and my piano teacher wanted me to rehearse and deliver a joke before I played my song. Like any teacher, she wanted to boost her students’ self-esteem. “OK, Hessmeister, not only are you hitting puberty and your skin is going bad and you’re packing on the pounds, but now I’m going to have a roomful of people LAUGH at you!” And back then it wasn’t a good thing.
[I seem to have bad experiences with music teachers. My current violin teacher tells me, "Trina you are the PERFECT example...Of why Vaudeville died!"]
It was a big risk I took as I looked scared-faced at that piano-recital-induced audience and said, “All his life Beethoven had been composing. Ever since his death he has been decomposing.” And I said it just like that, stone-faced, dead-pan. Because I didn’t even GET the joke myself.
Groans. Some laughs, but mostly the sound of eyes rolling. And then someone in the back stood up and yelled, “You SUCK!!!!” Through tear-filled eyes I said, “Thanks for the support, MOM!”
I hope your risk isn’t nearly as horrific as mine was. I’m still here. And now it’s a GOOD thing that people are laughing at me. We just have to trust that whether or not the joke gets laughs, we are still accomplishing something good. We are the Shining Example, the one who had enough courage to use a sense of humor where before there was none, and we did succeed–we created an atmosphere where everyone could lighten up! And from my recital experience, I’ve learned to never let anyone write material for me.
Now go and “Get Your SHINE Together!”
