When I started this blog in 2003, I was still performing stand up comedy at least 3 times a week and hosting my own open mic show at a west end bar. What I realized a few years later was that although I wasn't the worst, I wasn't the best either and I didn't have the passion necessary to keep doing the work. Joan Rivers had nothing but passion for the work and was still doing it until the very end. For her it was a calling. This clip from Louie reminds me of why, even though it wasn't my calling, I'd still rather hang out at the comic's table then just about anywhere else.
I admired Joan because of her grit and determination. I am inspired by her entrepreneurship, sense of style and her ability to be crassy and classy all in the same breath. She was a truth teller, and that is something that I strive to be, in my work and my life. It's almost never easy to do but she made it feel somehow like it was the only option.
And now, so many years after I gave up standing up in bars and night clubs trying to make people laugh, I'm inspired by her as the mother of an only child, a daughter. Joan was a good mother, that much seems clear, and what a great legacy that is. But more than that, she was a good mother who did more. She was always doing more. We can always do more.
I have written about Joan before on this blog. In case you missed it, my homage to her button front cape, that I plan on wearing every chance I get this Fall. Thanks for everything, Joan. You will be so missed!
