not so funny

i ventured north this weekend. an impromtu trip to the berkshires. winding country roads took me to north adams, massachusetts. a small but picturesque town.

in my short visit, i encountered some of the students at MCLA and wound up watching part of the college's open mic night. don't ask me how that happened. there were the usual boys with guitars singing about the girls they've, er, loved. but there was one young man who stood before his classmates and gave a shot at comedy. . . with nary a laugh.

it was pretty painful.

when he finished his set, he walked off the stage and headed straight for the door. don and i were seated right outside, and the aspiring comedian mumbled to us, "i gotta get outta here while i still have at least a LITTLE dignity."

don and i looked at each other with pity splashed across our faces. don is one of the most genuine and kindest people i know. and before i knew it, don was once again instinctively exemplifying it as he sprung from his seat and shot out the door to follow the student comic. as i eavesdropped, i overheard don telling him something like, "you know, it takes a lot of courage to do that. and it takes a while to figure out all the timing and your audience and stuff. you're just learning. don't let one night get you down."

don's also terribly modest, so he didn't completely understand why i thought so much of that gesture.

but i insisted on telling him. . .

sometimes those gestures are the things people remember more than what prompted them in the first place.

he may very well have changed that boy's night. or life.