Choose to have a good day
01 Mar 2011 8 Comments
The five+ year journey of writing my book, and my passion for keynote speaking all started in Reno, Nevada. There, I was working the Sammy Davis Jr. Room at Harrah’s Casino and finishing my 31st show in a seven-week run. I was hot. I was tired and in a rotten mood. I wanted nothing more than to go back to my dressing room and relax. The last thing I wanted to do that day was go through the “meet-and-greet” after the show. But, I knew it was the right thing to do.
I plastered on a fake smile and politely answered questions and acknowledged compliments from audience members, all the while wondering when these silly exchanges would end. After what seemed like an eternity, I heaved a sigh of relief and prepared to leave. As I walked towards the stage, I saw a woman sitting at a table close by waving me over. no less tired, but curious; I approached her. She was crying quietly and had been for some time, it appeared. Her tremulous smile broke my heart as she told me her story.
“…I lost my husband six months ago,” she said. “I haven’t been able to get my mind off of the loss and haven’t really found anything to smile about, either. I was told that I should come out for the day and see a show. Young man, for an hour I did not think about my loss. I didn’t about any of my troubles. All I did was laugh. I laughed so hard I cried. Your show gave me an hour to forget everything, but how to laugh…”
I was reminded at that moment that laughter is a gift. It’s a gift we give ourselves and we allow others to give back to us. That experience reminded me that every day I wake up; I make the CHOICE to have a good day. It’s a choice we all make. That lovely lady reminded me of why I’m here.
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Apr 19, 2011 @ 12:53:50
Tim, that is such a wonderful story! Thank you for sharing it. Bless you and that woman for being in that certain place and sharing that experience. She so needed a reason to laugh and most certainly you provided it. I remember how hard we laughed at your show at Harrah’s in LV a few years ago. When you leave a theater with sore ribs, you know you had a great time!
Jul 01, 2011 @ 13:18:18
That’s not just logic. That’s really sensible.
Apr 21, 2011 @ 20:24:09
This is a lovely story Tim. When you came to my school, I was sitting next to my friend Steve and I remember the whole time his head was down. I knew that something was wrong. But after awhile, I saw his shoulders move. He wasn’t crying, he was laughing. Not a lot, but just enough. At your show you said something about how almost everyone in the audience had something troubling and the only way to take the pain away was by laughing. Once you said that , I looked down at my friend and put my hand on his shoulder to give him comfort. Now he has returned the favour when something is bugging me. I took that advice to heart and now everytime I feel sad, I watch stand-up! I told everyone I knew to do the same. Thank you Tim!
Jul 02, 2011 @ 04:49:56
Fell out of bed feeling down. This has brighetend my day!
Jul 02, 2011 @ 15:42:37
BION I’m ipmrsesed! Cool post!
Jul 02, 2011 @ 06:36:02
More posts of this quality. Not the usual c***, palese
Jul 02, 2011 @ 16:44:57
Home run! Great slugging with that answer!
Sep 27, 2011 @ 09:43:27
I must admit that this is one great insight. It surely gives a company the opportunity to get in on the ground floor and really take part in creating something special and tailored to their needs.