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Welcome to the Be Your Best Self Blog by Marsha Abbott.
"Never Seen That Before!"
I’m not a Sunday Funday kind of girl. Never have been. It’s just not for me. But my sister and her husband caught me in a weak moment. So, I agreed. And boy…am I glad I agreed! Because on March 26th, 2023 in Rockford, Illinois, I saw something that I have never, not ever, seen before. And in a world that sometimes seems to expect everything and appreciate nothing, it felt just like…a breath of fresh air.
What were we up to this one particular Sunday? Well, my husband and I like comedy shows. In fact, we have seen plenty of them in many different cities. So when my sister asked us to go see the comedian, Bert Kreischer, I happily agreed. While I didn’t know what to expect as I had never seen this particular person perform, what I can say is that I was never more surprised at what happened during that show. I learned something very important from Bert that night. And it is something I never, in a million years, expected to learn. I also truly believe you can learn from him to. And I bet this is something you have never seen either.
I knew right from the start this comedy show was going to be much different than any others. Usually seeing a comedian consists of a small, intimate room where person after person gets up to do their “bits”. It all flows together well, and each joke seems to connect to the next with bursts of laughter popping up every now and then. As soon as we arrived to the performance, it was pretty clear this wasn’t going to be a small, intimate room. In fact, it took place in a very large auditorium…that was FULL… by the way! I had never seen that before!
And from there, it just got more interesting. When Bert got up to do his “bits”, he instead, really didn’t have a flow to it at all! He is really more of a story-teller. He told stories about himself, his friends, his kids and his wife. And these stories, well, they had us fans rolling with laughter! He even called his family a couple times while on stage, which made it even more comical. I’ve never seen that before!
Now it was pretty clear that most of these fans were not new to Bert Kreischer like I was. They were all screaming for him to tell some of their favorite stories that they heard before. And the interesting part to me is that while most people going to a comedy show want to hear new material, that was not the case with these fans. Because his stories are so great, they wanted to hear them again and again! I was shocked because I had also never seen that before!
And as the night quickly passed by, it was clear to me why they enjoy Bert, his family, and his many crazy stories about his fun adventures. It was even clearer to me why they would want to hear them over and over again. Because this man is funny! And he is not afraid to live life to the fullest and to make people laugh along the way. It was a show like no other, and it was refreshing to see his take on “comedy”.
But as the show was finishing up, something unexpected happened. He had just finished his most popular story called “The Machine” that was released as a movie in May of this year. It was in this moment where I saw something I never, in a million years, expected to see. And it was at this exact point in time where I learned something very important from Bert.
With an auditorium full of people all standing, clapping, and cheering his name…with a room packed with so many of his fans…Bert started crying. Literally, he started crying! And through his tears, he explained how grateful he was to be right there in this moment with us. He expressed his gratitude for all of these fans that surrounded him, and he thanked everyone for loving him so much. He then in turn told everyone how much he loved them because without all of us fans, none of these great things in his life would exist today. And as he said these words and cried some more, I realized that I have never seen any famous and popular person do that before…not ever!
Because you see, we are all blessed with talents and gifts. We all have something that we are good at. Whether it be an athletic ability, academic success, a prosperous career, or even the incredible patience of being a stay-at-home parent. It could even be that some of us have a knack for drawing well, while others find they cook better than most. Some of us even know how to make people laugh, like Bert! Whatever that gift is, do you catch yourself taking it for granted? Do you just expect success? And do you sometimes find yourself getting a ‘big head” over it?
Or do you try to, every now and then, take a step back and feel grateful for that gift? Do you appreciate the talent you have been given? Do you stay humble, think less of yourself and more about your ability to impact those around you? Do you truly appreciate your talent?
Because on March 26th, 2023 in Rockford, Illinois with a stadium full of people, Bert Kreischer, famous comedian and story-teller, did just that! He thought less of himself and his gift to make others laugh and thought more about the gratitude he had for this incredible talent that was impacting the world. He taught me that night what it really means to be truly grateful for the wonderful gifts we have all been blessed with.
And in all my years, in every comedy show, sports game, and concert, through every popular video shared on YouTube or TikTok, I can tell you I have never, not ever, seen that before! And in a world that sometimes seems to expect everything and appreciate nothing, I must admit…Bert really was a breath of fresh air.
*For those of you struggling with something in life or have a topic of interest that you want me to talk about in this blog, email me at BeYourBestSelfBlog@gmail.com. Let’s work together to Be Our Best Selves!