Mitch Hedberg for a Night

In 2014, I met a friend of a friend who told me she could see me doing stand-up comedy. A few months prior, a different friend told me my intonation sometimes reminded him of Mitch Hedberg. In 2014, I started watching stand-up comedy and performing at some local open mics.

Stand-up comedy is a learning curve to be sure. I did several open mics in 2014, and learned some about the process. I would continue to make notes from time to time of jokes I came up with. Then did another open mic years later, this time in Atlanta, not NYC. That one went well. It was a lot of fun.

Last night, I took the stage yet again, but this time not as myself, but as Mitch Hedberg, a comic genius, who we lost way too soon. I loved reconnecting to his style of comedy, as well as practicing his jokes with my daughter. Grateful that he wasn’t into cursing or non-family friendly topics, and focused more on wordplay and unique perspectives on mundane aspects of life—a topic that is near and dear to my heart as well.

I’ve learned a lot about comedy in the last two years. Less from how much I practiced it, and more from my life experiences, which deepened my understanding of the human condition.

And last night, I had the privilege of bringing Mitch Hedberg back to life, in some small way, and I had the culmination of the first phase of my journey into comedy. RIP Mitch. May we all be blessed to follow our dreams, to achieve them—no matter how long it takes, and how windy the path—and may it be within a vessel of compassion and self-appreciation.

Link to my performance here.