To be human

Last night I got face-ache. You would expect this from seeing stand up comedy, but not from watching a 60 year old man read his essays and diary entries.  But somehow David Sedaris has me laughing to the point of tears.

This is the fourth time I've seen him.  It's become an almost biennial ritual. He is kind and generous with his time and signs books both before and after shows. It makes sense, as his writing is observational, focusing on people.  Diary entries of random encounters, funny anecdotes or cultural differences. His long form essays and book chapters explore how he mavigates the world, his relationship with patrner Hugh, his friends or his family.

We were all in rapturous laughter at a reading focusing on the cultural variations of what people yell out the car window when angry in traffic. This is how David's mind works.  Rather than simply make robotic small talk of insincere questions ('how was your trip') he prefers conversation where people are real. In case you were wondering, it seems certain parts of Europe win when it comes to insults hurled in traffic.  'Cancer whore' or the variation 'Cancer slut' had us laughing at the absurdist cultural difference.  Mothers also featured highly, but the real insult winner was 'why don't you shove your hand up my ass and jerk off my shit'. There's really no coming back from that. 

Listening to one essay last night there was a collective intake of breath.  David mentioned his Father.  We all exhaled as he read that he was now 95. He told us of his Father having his licence taken off him, and then reinstated, much to their horror. Of his house filled with overflowing piles of papers (bank statements and items ripped from magazines and newspapers, old calendars etc) and him walking down the hallway with a flashlight (to save money on electricity). He had noticed bruises on his elderly Father's arm. Evidence of a fall. How do you convince someone to leave their home, even if it is becoming dangerous to live there alone?  How can you suggest your aging parent spend money on a driver or cleaner when they want to save their money to give to their children? We have all been following David's family throughout his writing. We understand his complex family dynamics. We have read the impact of his Mother's death and how the family came together after one of his sisters commited suicide more recently. He explained that as a young man with a fraught relationship with his Father he had yelled the words 'you'll die alone'. Now his Father seemed hell bent on achieving it. In discussing his Father's longevity with his siblings, David suggested it wasn't that he was still alive...but more that in true life long tardy fashion, his Father was just 'late for death'.

We have aged along with David and his family.  We see ourselves in his stories.  As we deal with life's complexities and the ups and downs that each year brings, he reminds us of what it is to be human. His writing highlights the reality of life, with all it's difficulties and absurdities. Life is both funny and tragic. It is heartfelt and honest. It is hard but at times can be filled with a face that aches from smiling and laughing.  Thank you David for another magical evening.






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