Lesson or a Laugh…
The Choice is Yours
by: Zane Thomas
She said, “When you were born, you heard the doctor laugh and you’ve been chasing that sound ever since.”
I don’t think I’ve talked much about what comedy means to me.
Growing up, my mom struggled with depression. I would come home day after day to my mom crying because she was tortured by her own brain. I don’t think she knew how else to self regulate.
I felt powerless to see someone I loved in so much pain and there was nothing I could do to help…except try and make her laugh.
I would start off telling a very serious story so I could draw her in. Then as I went on I would just get goofier and wackier until she finally busted up and started laughing (You’ll see it in my comedy now. “Take me serious”, dumb fucking pun).
If you can make someone laugh on their worst day, in the moments they thought they couldn’t even smile, there’s no feeling like it.
I do it at work all the time. I’m a peer support mentor and one day, one of my clients said, “I’m just really struggling and I feel like jumping off a pier.” I said, “I hope you don’t mean me, right?”
They laughed, I laughed, I kept my job. It was magical!
My point is, comedy means a lot to me. That’s why I’ve kept at for some many years.
All of this is to say, I think from every story, we should either get a lesson or a laugh. Some stories are just too tragic and all we can do is learn from them. But for everything else, why not laugh?
If you’re lucky enough, you just might find a story where you can do both…
Looking for a lesson and laugh?
Check out “The Smoke Break” on YouTube and Spotify with new episodes dropping on Fridays at 6pm!
The Smoke Break Live is coming to HaHaHarvest Festival!
Join Zane, Zoë, and Taylor for another live episode of the show everyone is talking about! With special guests @stephenagyei1 @therealamandalynndeal and @_mamafi.
Stop by and enjoy some live comedy and insightful conversations with interesting and creative people about mental health and whatever other weird stuff comes up!
By: Zane Thomas
Zane Thomas is a rapper, comedian, and co-host of the mental health podcast, The Smoke Break. Zane’s live act combines elements of music and stand-up comedy. His music delves into difficult subject matter but is often balanced by an uplifting point of view or a poorly timed pun. You might laugh. You might cry. You might do both at the same time.
But either way, you’ll feel a little less alone.