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I am always gratified to discover that mental health consumers can respond in a performance medium. It helps to explain our basic need to be creative and inspired. Comedy night was one such adventure into the delightful portrayal of songs and the work of comics. We got a taste of how hysterically appealing and funny the day programs can be. We saw some of things that we find peculiarly funny about the daily routine of life in the mental health system. I told a few jokes and received the laughs that I had expected from the material I chose. I also sang.
I learned how to sing in Harlem in 1995. An acting teacher actually took the time to show me what to think about when I am trying to deliver song lyrics and how to make people feel I am hopelessly in love, or suffering from a love affair gone wrong, or to praise the idea that love can happen to me—whatever the song I am singing is about. Other singers sang Christmas carols. The hostess did a rendition of Hey Big Spender. The pianist played the piano like a virtuoso and showed an expert knowledge of that piano keyboard. To tell the truth, music and comedy are universal and tend to make people feel good whenever they are given up as positive vibes.
Furthermore, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dan Frey who threw together this posh idealistic display of talents we as mental health consumers possess and show off so enthusiastically. Dan is always experimenting and it pays off in the long run. I would like to say that I am encouraged to eat food when I go to these functions because the body being healthy is as important as having a routine. Thank goodness I can entertain and connect to the glorious world of making others feel good. It is spiritual when we get up on stage and go on about our real feelings that may or may not be connected to the problematic, complex web of emotional problems that we talk to our professionals about.
I hope that for the next event I will be able to participate and enjoy myself because it is a personally rewarding experience and I see others get into the performance aspects as readily and with as much enjoyment as I do. Keep singing and looking for jokes with a twist or play an instrument. Surprise people with your talents, gang. Dancing and singing are harmless and I’d like you to show me that we are having a good time with each other.