I’m doing stand-up comedy at the end of Feb

Hello I’m Jessica O’Reilly and once upon a time a friend gave me a thyme plant for my birthday because he wasn’t on thyme to my party. Sure, it’s totally lame and I would have preferred punctuality and a baby basil tree, but he made a LOL and that totally disarmed any irritation I had about him not being on thyme. And this is exactly why I try to surround myself with humorous humans. I respond well to them. They get me. Nothing’s a problem when something is funny. This is how I try and get by in life. Laughing away the worry. It’s part of my “winning strategy” to being me. I got it from my family. All of us like to be – and attract – funny buggers.

Everyone on the planet has a winning strategy, it’s how we make friends and get people to like us. We rely on it. Some people get around being really kind. Some people do maturity well. Some like to be wilfully ignorant. Some like to be mean bastards who shoot up the block. It’s not always positive.

Your winning strategy is a way you learn to behave when you are young. It’s based on a mixture of experience and personality, plus who you surround yourself with. It makes us who we are.

I also use food, empathy and generosity to navigate through life. People seem to dig those qualities too but laughing is my favourite. Moments of laughter clear out my brain. Even if only for the split second when the joke cracks, it’s a hugely therapeutic ride on the LOLercoaster.

Apparently I’m that into clowning around that I wildly went and registered to do Triple J’s Raw Comedy competition. I guess it’s like their Unearthed for aspiring musos, but this is for buffoonery.

I have absolutely no idea how I’m going to manage to get up on stage and not have total mind block from the sheer terror. But I won’t know if I don’t try. I actually feel sick right now because I’m writing and thinking about it.

Getting up in front of an audience who are expecting me to make them laugh with all my sallies is literally the most socially vulnerable situation I could put myself in. And I think you probably get it.

I’ve always said that getting through the gruelling four hours of cuddle puddling was the worst thing I’ve ever done, but this could very well take the whole dessert bar.

But the show must go on.

I just have to suck it up for the next month while I psychologically throw punches at the air like I’m about to go into a boxing match. It’s also uber important to just keep reminding myself that I’m not going to hurt myself if no one laughs. HECK, I post, what I believe is hilarious, stuff on here all the time and no one reads, comments or thumbs it.

I will be in no physical danger. I CAN’T DIE OF EMBARRASSMENT. And once I get off the stage, even if I forget my lines and puke all over the front row, well, I’ll feel a sense of achievement regardless.

OH MY GOD. VULNERABILITY.

If you’d like to hear some of my jokes to help me funny proof them, throw me a line! The guy with the thyme joke don’t pick up the phone no more, so I’ll take all the herb I can get. Ba dum tshh.

SUBSCRIBE TO COMFORT IS FOR WIMPS