chutes & ladders
We are all familiar with the game of Chutes & Ladders. With the roll of the dice you either skip the line to the top of the board or find yourself back at the bottom. Similar to life, one minute you’re up and the next you can find yourself back at the bottom.
This is a saying me and my friend Maggie like to scream into the abyss after a long night at the comedy club we both work at. We are usually both exhausted around midnight, holding dirty paper towels in one hand and Windex in the other, we’ll shoot a glance at one another and yell, “Chutes and Ladders, baby!” We will laugh and go back to the grind before locking the club doors and heading home after a long day.
We both work day jobs from 9-5 before heading to the club, we are usually delirious by the end of the night, which leads us to these antics. Having an ally like Maggie is essential.
Comedy is hard but many moments are ladders. Making a room of people laugh is truly one of my favorite highs and the reason I do what I do. Along with these highs, though come so many lows.
The long days, late nights, endless travel, mean comments online, working in clubs.. It’s all hard, but the good moments outweigh the bad and keep you in the game.
Chutes and Ladders, Baby!
I recently experienced a deep chute. I watched a friend struggle and felt hopeless in trying to help. I have been trying to collect myself but sometimes it’s nice to just sit on the floor before dusting yourself off.
This chute, and most chutes, often lead to a ladder. While my plans have had to shift, some new things have unfolded that I am looking forward to. This reminds me of the Taoist story of the old farmer linked here. I recommend reading this as this story has really helped me reframe many things in my life. If you look at “negative” or “positive” events through this lens it can help you ride the waves of life.
Sometimes the worst things that happen can lead to the best things.
GOD I really wanted to write something fun and silly and not preach from my high horse but whatever. I hope this helped, it was nice to write.
See you next week.
XO!