I spent last night performing stand-up comedy at the women’s prison in Vermont. And I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun performing, ever. The performance was arranged to get the women energized about the stand-up comedy class I’m teaching in the winter. I was touched by the women’s stories and intelligence. Several women came up to me to thank me for making them laugh.
This got me thinking about the power of laughter, not just for prisoners but for all of us. I was helping a 13-year-old young man try to find a book today and all he wanted was something funny. He mentioned that with Thanksgiving week, “I actually have time to read what I want to read.” And he wanted to laugh. I am hearing this more and more. Kids want books that are funny because, well, they’re fun. That’s not to say there’s no room for the fabulous dystopian novel or dark realistic fiction, but I think kids want to laugh more. He happily took Going Bovine and An Abundance of Katherines. I felt good knowing that this week, a young man was just going to laugh over some books.
Every Thanksgiving I laugh. I laugh at the memories of disastrous meals in the past and why I always have to call my mom to remember how to long to cook a turkey. One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is reading David Sedaris holiday stories. I’ve read them dozens of times and I still laugh every time.
So, here’s wishing all of you out there a fabulous holiday full of love and laughter. And if the turkey burns, or a political fight breaks out, see the funny side of it and have a good laugh or two.