My husband Matt and I love to go see stand-up comedians; it’s one of our favorite things to do. A few weeks before the pandemic hit I was at a fundraising gala, and the only item I was going to make sure I won at that silent auction was for two tickets to three different comedy specials. Now, there may have been a couple of bottles of wine in there, but really it was all about the comedy.
Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to go see anything in person, but fortunately, we have streaming services that have a ton of different comedy specials on them. And this summer, one of our favorite comedians, Tom Papa, came out with a new special. Now, I’m bringing this up because on last week’s video I talked about the f-word – having fun. And what better way to have fun than by watching stand-up comedy?
I also talked about how you don’t need to compartmentalize fun, you don’t have to schedule it separately. In fact, it’s better to overlap, intertwine them with other areas of your life.
So that’s exactly what we’ve been doing with Tom Papa. He’s completely clean; our kids, Ethan’s almost 15 and Reese is 12, they watched one of his specials a few years ago. And we decided to watch the new one together as a family, and then again on Easter when my parents and my mother-in-law were over.
Sitting around number one, focusing on family, having that family time, bonding and strengthening relationships in that area of our life while at the same time having fun, it was amazing! But the pure act of laughter, which is often associated with fun and certainly should be happening during stand-up comedy, actually laughing has so many health benefits. And I’m sure you’re aware of some of them, but if you’re not, it really does strengthen your heart, your lungs, your muscles.
We had our parents over; they’re 75 and 85 years old, so it actually reduces your heart rate, reduces blood pressure. In the long-term, it’s helping to improve your immune system, which we all need to have an improved immune system, even more so right now.
It also helps improve your overall mood, and if you have pretty consistent laughter built into your life, it helps you handle difficult situations that could come down the road.
So even if stand-up comedy isn’t always your thing, maybe find a comedian that could just bring a little bit of laughter. And I have to recommend Tom Papa, he has a newer special on Netflix. No, I’m not affiliated with him or Netflix in anyway, I just absolutely love his comedy and his humor, so I invite you to check it out and see if it’s a good fit for you, your family, your loved ones!