Thursday, November 28, 2019

Thankful for My Sense of Humor

I have a history of falling into deep sadness at this time of year, every year. I don't know exactly why -- the falling light levels, a sense of mourning at the end of the gardening season, or maybe just my own dislike of the holidays in general. Maybe it's a combination of all three. The end of the year, from about September onward, makes me sad.

And lately, I spend even more time careening between deep sadness and all-consuming, white-hot fury, every time I read the news.

In my recent post Ode to a Nightingale I lamented the end of the gardening season, and one of the commenters, Hoover Boo, who blogs at Piece of Eden, commented with a link to a YouTube video of comedian Lewis Black ranting. It made me laugh, and lifted my spirits for a while, and ultimately sent me on a quest through YouTube for videos of favorite comedians.

Some of you may know that my husband Nigel is English, and I am an Anglophile, which means we spend a lot of time watching English comedy and TV shows on YouTube and Britbox. Here are a couple of my favorites, who are probably not exactly household names in the U.S., so you might not be familiar with them.

Sarah Millican

Sarah Millican Live at the Apollo


Sarah Millican on Her Pet Dog


Tom Allen

Tom Allen on Being at the Water Park



Tom Allen Live at the Apollo


So, if you've had a horrifying Thanksgiving with family, or a stressful time cooking (or eating too much), or just feel the need to also be thankful for your own sense of humor, I hope those clips made you laugh too.