Last night I went to hear hilarious, prolific author David Sedaris speak at an event at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. If you’re not familiar with his work, he’s a frequent contributor on NPR’s This American Life, and has written a ton of humor essay books including my personal favorite, Me Talk Pretty One Day.
Though I’d recognize his distinctive voice and storytelling delivery anywhere, I had never seen him perform live before, and the man was even more brilliant in front of an audience than on the radio. He captured the attention of all 2,500 audience members, as he stood simply behind a small, wooden podium, pencil in hand (he often reads from works in progress and edits on the fly) and a stack of essays to pull from.
As I listened to his comical, candid, sometimes inappropriate diary entries, I couldn’t help but be struck by how David Sedaris had created an amazing life for himself by doing what he loved and by being his pure, authentic, slightly twisted self. (I also laughed so hard I let a loud snort escape from my mouth, but that’s a whole other matter.)
There’s something incredibly inspirational about seeing someone so in the flow – his work and life and passion are melded together as one. He writes in his diary about what he sees and how he experiences situations and then shares his raw and honest observations with the rest of us. For this he is well-paid, well-respected, and well-loved.
And it made me wonder…what would happen if everyone followed their passion and natural gifts and that became the primary focus of their life…if earning a living and living a dream were one and the same?
I think it’s possible. Do you?
Great entry!
I love the part of Me Talk Pretty One Day where David Sedaris is walking around Paris listening to the autobiography of Loretta Lynn, the country singer. When I was an exchange student, sometimes I would listen to sappy silly books on tape just to hear people talking in a way that was familiar.
I love that he is honest enough with himself to find his own desires, passions and fears hilarious. We should all be so lucky!
Debbie, I saw David Sedaris at UW a few years ago and laughed my head off. One of the questions he answered at the end of the session was from someone who wanted to know about the marks he was making on his notes during his performance. It turns out he was checking spots in the piece where he got the most laughs! I loved that. On the fly focus group 🙂
Ha! That’s so awesome…and again, he totally owns who he is to do that and not worry about “what people will think” 🙂
I couldn’t agree more, Carla!