Everything Has A Season
Tags: Saskatoon, Saskatoon comedians, Saskatoon comedy, stand-up comedy, standup diaries, The Stand-Up Diaries, the standup diaries, trevor dean, trevor dean saskatoonIf there is one thing you can definitively say about my comedy journey, it’s that I have always been changing. Sometimes I evolve, sometimes I take a step or two back, but I never stay like the others. My material is always changing, as are my outfits and my circumstances.
Ah yes, circumstances. No stand-up comic can afford to be without them.
Many local comics have undergone life changes that see them take on new responsibilities like a new job, a career change, marriage or a family. They seem to adjust their comedy goals around their newfound circumstances.
I have always had changing circumstances, but the majority of them have been negative, or seemingly placing me two steps behind everyone else, at a disadvantage, quite possibly until now.
There are scripture verses that talk about how, before important Biblical characters became great, to step into the destiny they were destined to enter, they had to endure a season of silence, a period of dry ground, of no growth. They endured seasons of being mistreated, disrespected, lied about, used, abused, sold into slavery, jailed, robbed. These people knew they were equipped for better things, to lead a life of abundance and influence, while the people around them saw things differently. Instead of realizing what was inside of these great leaders, they judged them, unfriended them and didn’t believe in what these great men believed they were destined for.
I guess you could say that I “hustled”, and went above and beyond in some cases to do the things that others weren’t doing. These things got me ahead, to a degree then they seemed to come to a grinding halt. The strange thing is, instead of feeling sad or like something is missing, instead I feel indifference.
When I had the radio show, I started to amass quite the list of contacts within the comedy industry, with names like John Wing, Andrew Grose, Dave Hemstad, Jerry Corley and Tammy Pescatelli, to name a few. I became the first one around here to start Zoom comedy shows and expose local comics to Los Angeles performers. All this while losing sleep trying to put a radio show on the air.
But now, I don’t do any of that. I rarely converse with the L.A. comics and don’t do much in the local comedy community at the moment. Should I feel bad? Am I missing something?
Maybe. Then again, maybe finally being paid what you are worth, in a job with career aspirations and stability along with a management team that wants you to succeed, makes a huge difference. I now don’t have to stress about money, as I will soon be able to afford things I once thought out of reach, like a brand new car, a better place to live and annual vacations.
The radio show ended at just the right time, even if I didn’t see it coming. It was the right time. I know this because of the growth and things I have been able to fill my time with as a result. In the end, everything works together for the good of the person. Even the bad things, what you didn’t see coming, all of that plays a part in setting you up for successes down the road.
Now with my new job that I enjoy on most days, I have the ability to plan ahead for things I have wanted to do but never thought possible. I am probably the only person I know that hasn’t been to the West Edmonton Mall in over 30 years. I would like to buy nice clothes, go for dinner, road trips, save for a big vacation. Would going to these destinations mean the comedy would follow along?
Probably, but I’m okay if that isn’t the case. Nah, I’m lying. Going to a city where you aren’t known and trying to win over a bunch of strangers by making them laugh, what else could be more of a challenge? I guess I’ve come to the conclusion by writing this post that comedy will always be a part of my life, but for the first time in years, it won’t rule my life.