The World Isn’t Always

Comedians should never grow old.

I understand everyone must walk down the path of age; parents, lovers, children and ultimately, we, ourselves. Still I wish there could be a moratorium for those who make us laugh.

Like almost everyone else I know, I have a favorite person who has never failed to reduce me to instant laughter. I eagerly await his performances; always prepared for total immersion into hilarity.

I don’t believe I am alone ..........

As each of us progress along life’s unpredictable path, we need those who make us laugh even more. Any announcement of an upcoming TV and/or streaming appearance by a favorite performer is highly anticipated.

And so it was this week with my very favorite master of the laugh. I have followed his career for ever so long, not only with laughter but respect for his achievements. There were many nights during the cruel weeks when I was saying a final goodbye to the one I loved, that his nightly show kept me semi-intact. When I believed I would never know laughter again, listening for thirty minutes to his unique brand of humor helped me forget reality and remember I could still smile.

But then last night I recognized that he, too, was human, and like all humans, aging.

As I watched him move with just a mite less flexibility than yore, I knew his yesterdays had left also. I sensed vulnerability, and instead of laughing, I felt sad. I wanted him to stay forever young, and of course, I should have known better.

Because, age isn’t always kind. It seems to strip away some of our keener attributes with the ability of a sharp knife. The acute edge of his always slightly caustic humor seemed to be missing.

I suddenly understood that was because he has used the reality of life as the core for what makes us laugh. Now both his and our reality has radically altered.

If at times, the routine seemed forced, it was because he, too, knew he wasn’t quite as funny. There was more pathos than I recalled, and the line between my tears of laughter and those of sadness blurred. Perhaps he tried too hard and that never seemed apparent in the early days,

Or maybe the truth is I needed and wanted to laugh more than ever. Because his talent is so acute, he used his ability last evening to make me think rather than smile.

I wanted another human being to wash away all my fears and insecurities about today’s threatened world with jokes. That was when I knew it wasn’t just my comic of choice, nor I, but the world that has gotten older.

And the things we once found funny just don’t make us laugh anymore. Because now we know life isn’t always funny.