Guest Post by Hardscrabble Farmer
Whenever people find out that I spent a good part of my adult life earning my living as a stand up comic their perception of me changes. Like being a veteran they assume certain things about me; that I should be funnier than I am, that I can tell them a joke if they ask, that I must know current celebrities even though I haven’t been in the business for more than 15 years. It’s not a fact that I hide, but it isn’t one that comes out in casual conversation either. Usually there will be a relevant story that requires me to divulge that fact, like how I met my wife, but for the most part it something that doesn’t come up all that often and I tend to think of myself in terms of the present rather than in the accomplishments of the past.
There is always a look of incredulity that follows disclosure, like they can’t believe that I was ever anything else before I became a farmer, or that someone who comes across as serious could ever have a sense of humor. I do have a sense of humor, but like my physical strength I try and conserve what little I have left to share with my family. I’m becoming found of the taciturn version of myself that most people encounter. The other day as I was backing the pickup truck out of a tight spot my youngest son asked me why I was so mad. I wasn’t and the question caught me by surprise.
“Why do you think I’m mad?” I asked him.
“That look on your face.” he said as he tried to duplicate it.
I smiled when I realized that every time I have to turn my head too far to the left or right, I grimace.
“That’s the face I make when I’m backing up.” I told him. “Like the face people make when they’re surprised.” And then I made a surprised face and he laughed. “If I make the surprised face the next time I’m looking back, that means we’re about to hit something.” He laughed harder.
Continue reading “That Comedy Thing”
