[2021-12-21] Funny stories
In response to my 500th post the other day, a friend wrote: "I don’t know if you fully appreciate the insights you share."
She described my posts as heartfelt, vulnerable, honest and often funny—just like everyday life. She compared them to the stories of The Vinyl Cafe, a radio program that aired weekly on CBC radio as well as some public radio stations in the United States. "Like the stories from The Vinyl Cafe," my friend wrote, "your posts draw us in because we see ourselves in them and because they aren’t pretentious but mirror the journey that we are all on in one way or another."
For those of you unfamiliar with The Vinyl Cafe, the stories were written and recounted by Stuart McLean and focused on the owner of a secondhand record store called The Vinyl Cafe (Dave), his wife (Morley), their two children (Stephanie and Sam) and sundry friends and neighbours.
I hadn't heard of The Vinyl Cafe, but looked it up on Spotify after reading my friend's email. I've been hooked ever since. The Vinyl Cafe - Christmas has been my bedtime listen for days now.
Today, another friend wrote to me to remark on my courage in acknowledging cancer and my willingness to share my experience so openly. He added: "the warm but pragmatic style of your writing makes it all somehow seem less daunting."
He also took the opportunity to share his annual Christmas letter. I've read a few of his Christmas letters in recent years, and I've always loved them. I would not characterize his writing as warm and pragmatic—sharp and sarcastic might be more fitting. By his own admission: "This one is the 21st I've written, and as with all the others, distorts facts, feelings and family, all in the interests of not taking things too seriously."
My friend's writing is very much in the spirit of The Vinyl Cafe: a slice of ordinary life regarded in the most humorous light. Stuart McLean would have approved.
I've always admired people who can write funny stories. Comedic tales serve a purpose much greater than making us laugh for a moment. They remind us of our humanity. They allow us to see that we are all on a similar journey. And they prompt us to not take life too seriously.
