It was my 50th birthday and I asked my wife to join me for a little jazz and some dinner at the Bistro 46 Restaurant and Grille in OKC. It seemed I had to plan my own birthday dinner for my only 50th birthday. But, I didn’t say anything to my wife. I get home from mowing some yards and she is completely dressed and ready to go. This never happens! She then starts to rush me getting changed and out of the house. I wonder who is this lady and where is my real wife. I hastily dress and get to the restaurant, which seems dark and quiet. Then suddenly a bunch of family, friends, and loved ones jump up and yell “surprise!”
Unfortunately, the real surprise was the jazz band canceled and the kitchen closed. So, what do over 30 people do with no entertainment, no food, and some birthday cake? My cousin, The Realtor, jumped into action, pulled some strings and ordered some fine food from a local restaurant. So now we have food, but still no entertainment. So my wife, The Controller, jumped into action and introduced me as the man of the hour and asked me to briefly explain how I came to know all who were present. As I started what I expected to be 4-5 minutes, my wife would point to certain people in the crowd and gesture for me to say something about them. The 4-5 minutes turned into 45 minutes of story telling and laughter. We all had a great time laughing, learning, and remembering. Little did I know, the restaurant owners were also enjoying the stories and laughter. So much so, they collaborated with my wife and asked me to start doing a comedy show at the restaurant one night a month.
What intrigued the restaurant owners about my story telling and joking around was I didn’t use any offensive language or talk about anything inappropriate. It was all clean fun stuff that anyone could listen to and share with anyone else without being ashamed, embarrassed, or crude. It’s what I call Family ~ Funny ~ Comedy.
So now that my wife and others have encouraged me to get on stage and make people laugh, I realized I had never really gotten on stage in front of a crowd with the sole purpose of making them laugh. This was a crazy idea that could go completely wrong and be totally embarrassing. I survived that first show on a Friday night in July 2016 and have stayed at it since. I’ve had some not-so-funny sets and realize I have a lot to learn. My wife and many others are super supportive and believe in me more than I believe in myself.
This journey to provide a classy alternative to what is too often presented as comedy, is to simply offer Entertainment ~ The Way It Should Be. As my wife and I strive to Make a Difference for the Kingdom, we hope to encounter many new friends along the way. I’m still growing so let us know if you need a clean alternative as an event host, motivational speaker, training facilitator, comedy consultant, or just a straight up comedian.
Thanks
~ Mr. Iris