Hope you Motherfakers had a great weekend, I know I did. It kicked off on Friday when my episode of MONK aired on USA. A few of my lines were cut out, but it was still some nice screen time on one of the country's top shows. And I just found out from my sister, whom I call my publi-sis, that MONK was the 1 rated show in St. Louis on Friday!!!!
I went to bed very early, shortly after that because I had to drive to The Lake of the Ozarks at Tan Tar-A resort for the Special Olympics Global Messengers Leadership Conference. For those who aren't aware, the Global Messengers of Special Olympics are Special Olympic athletes who speak on behalf of the organization to schools, Congress, corporations and other organizations. They gather each year to sharpen their skills and hone the message of Special Olympics.
This year, I taught about 20 athletes the art of improvisation and we put on a competition-style showcase for all the attendees. It was amazing. The slogan for this years conference was Be A Fan! and by the time we finished our show, the audience certainly was. Those athletes really opened up and expressed themselves and the audience found themselves laughing harder than they had ever expected.
I left my house at 5:00am so that I would arrive around 7:30 so I could check in and shower, etc. before the conference and workshops began. I missed my exit and drove all the way across the state and didn't arrive at Tan Tar-A resort until noon!!!! When I pulled over at a gas station near Springfield, maps were not available because the ATM was down and they would not accept credit cards. Jackie Rahm from Special Olympics had to talk me into town.
I was in a horrible mood. I was sleep-deprived, a bit dirty and road worn and just plain grumbly. I would not have wanted to be the guy at the bell stand when I arrived. He gave me pretty convoluted directions that I was not comprehending, and I was mighty grumpy.
After I arrived, I took a shower, a shave but I was still not in a good mood. I walked downstairs, worried that I might not be able to teach in this condition. I opened the door to find about three times the amount of students I thought I'd have and I almost lost it. "I'm not ready for this!" my ego shouted. At this point it was 12:30, I hadn't eaten since the night before and I couldn't even gather my own thoughts, much less a room full of Special Olympians who had been whipped into a frenzy about my workshops for the last month.
Then we started to warm up and do some basic exercises. Ten minutes in, I was a the top of my game, and so were they. Every moment was sheer joy. It's amazing how you can see the gift of improv for what it is when it takes hold of your spirit and guides you through trying times. And it was so inspirational to see the athletes experiencing it for the first time. Shy athletes with intellectual disabilities found their voice and their confidence, and some parents were amazed to see their children looking forward to putting on a show. I was delighted to see the smiles and the questions and the inspiring points of view.
One of the students, Justin Dycus enjoyed my note that in improv, we try to bring small bits of information so that we can build the scene together. I use the familiar improv phrase, "Bring a Brick, Not a Cathedral." I say it all the time, so to me it's just another image that re-inforces a message. Justin pointed out, "You can't bring a cathedral to a brick, but you can bring a brick to a cathedral."
"Exactly!" I piped up. I wrote that down so I could share it with others and I asked him if he had read that somewhere.
He said, "It's copyrighted."
I thought he meant that someone else had copyrighted it. "No," he said. "I just want to make sure I get credit for it."
I should also mention that Justin was the jokester who mentioned that "IT" is supposed to stand for "Information Technology."
Later, Susie Stufflebaum said, "When a mistake happens you just have to acknowlege it and MOVE ON!" Susie also demonstrated her talent to do the splits and let everyone know that she prays to Jesus "in her spare time."
After it was over, Rodney Shoaf told me he'd like to make sure we stay in touch and offered to tour with me, in a Tag Team. I agreed with him when he said that they should all get used to the paparazzi. I can actually see that happening.
I was told by several people in the leadership of the organization that it was one of the best conferences they've ever had. Trish Lutz, with whom I worked very closely over the past year or so was getting a bit misty at the end of the program and I started a little waterworks when they presented me with a framed picture of all the athletes and a Be A Fan! T-shirt. As Rodney would have said, "That there is a Kodak moment."
It was signed by all of the amazing and courageous atheletes in attendance:
Lucas Blattel, Susie Stufflebaum, Brianne Chavez, Rob Eichelberger, Arthur Murphy, Justin O'Bryan, Rodney Shoaf, Shirlene Treadwell, Colin Garrison, Meredith Claypool, Justin Dycus, Chet Hollingshead, Max Homer, Tina Jones, Joe McGuire, Richard Scott, Greg Swinney, Sarah Byland, and Stephanie Littrell.
I do a lot of comedy shows, and often I forget about the improv shows a week after they're done...I won't forget about this show for a LONG time to come.
If you're in Missouri and would like to be a part of Special Olympics, visit: www.somo.org. Nationwide, visit: www.specialolympics.org.