From Scratch

John Mulaney played The Wilbur in Boston last night and was phenomenal. My husband and I were lucky enough to be in attendance- we haven't been anywhere or done anything since February of 2020 so August has been our return to normalcy. Kind of. 

We started our night by eating dinner outside- faw away from other people. Later, we tightened our masks and sat inside with a sold out crowd. We were packed in tight and maybe 1/4 of us were masked. We prayed Delta couldn't get through the fabric affixed to our faces. 

Mild terror aside, we got to see one of our favorite comedians in person. We were ecstatic. We also didn't know what to expect. What would he be discussing? Would he bring up rehab? What about the pandemic, or masks, or the fact that it was almost 90° outside, and only slightly cooler inside? 

No spoilers here, but know John did not disappoint. He came out to raucous applause and seemed a little surprised by it. The audience made clear that we were all on his side and thrilled he was touring again and making us laugh. The fact that someone who's fabulous in everything he does, someone who's a funny, successful, talented, writer and comic, could come out on stage seeming timid, was perhaps the most touching part of the show. 

The set took us through an extremely personal journey that at times had us; near tears, gasping in shock, and choking with laughter. 

I found the act very moving, for a myriad of reasons. One was the fact that John bared his soul and so candidly and honestly shared his story. The fact that he could do so with a room full of strangers really inspired me. 

As I've gone on my writing journey, I've been scared to have people read my novel. I don't like sharing and I don't like attention, yet I dearly want to see my novel published and read. Only small parts of my novel are (very) loosely based on me or my personal experiences. My novel is 99% made up, so what's the big deal, right? 

Before I sent my novel off to my aunt to be read and edited, I apologized. A lot. I told her that it was okay to call my work garbage or give up if it was unreadable. Who does that? (By the way, I got good critiques!)

If the Comeback Kid can conquer his demons and come back with a vengeance, I can get over myself and keep plugging away. I can share my story.

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