Back in early March, after 93 days in comedy, Mercury went retrograde, and I hit a wall. 

Before that, I was having a great time.

I really enjoyed going out several nights a week, taking the bus to North Beach to attend comedy classes and to perform at open mics.  It was a great time in San Francisco, especially as the days grew longer as spring slowly arrived.

But getting involved in comedy, I soon found out, was pretty much a full-time job. 

I really admired the younger comics and their dedication to build themselves a comedy career.  But I already have a career, one that’s quickly coming to a close. And I discovered that I don’t really want to devote more time building another career – at least, not in comedy.

Much as I enjoyed writing jokes and building bits and putting together an act, my needing to devote several hours each night, all for only a few minutes on stage, really wore me out.  Much as I enjoyed all that stage time, much as I enjoyed laughing at all the other comics, it really was exhausting.

So, once Mercury went retrograde, I did some serious reflection and decided to pull the plug on chasing the stand-up-comedy dream.  Or, more likely, the Tao pulled the plug.

What the Tao givith, the Tao taketh away.   

In place of comedy, the Tao has steered me back toward my amateur interest in art, sketching and painting with watercolors, a hobby I’ve explored for the past ten years.

Earlier this month, I started sketching and painting more frequently, and I’m glad I did.

Creating a painting in my sketchbook is like building a short comedy bit. Only, once I finish, I’m done!  I can look at a sketch, feel good about my efforts, and it doesn’t require several hours every night waiting for five minutes on stage.

Instead, once I put down my pen and paint brush, I can post a sketch to Instagram and forget all about it. The process is complete. Then, when something else inspires me, I can sketch and paint something new.

Heck — the drama masks at the top of this post took less than an hour to complete.

So, at this point into my pre-retirement journey, I am happy to focus on art — a practice, I hope, that will accompany me into the future.  I imagine myself, once fully retired, taking trips to different locales, taking art classes and/or just sketching what I see. 

The sketchbook is a great companion, and I’m glad to have it around.

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PS: If you’re interested, you can travel through my ten years of art on Instagram at PapaGringoArt.