This essay will be a two-parter. I've never done this before, but it seems fitting. See, I'm always telling you (and anyone who will listen) that we must face our discomforts to level up, so it seems apt that you should join me through a joyful discomfort.

So often our aversion to discomfort keeps us from the things we want to do. First steps are hard: the first shitty painting you make, the first time you take the stage, the butterflies that make you want to hurl as you put yourself out there with new friends or partners. We want the end results - the good art, the applause, the comfortable love - but we can't get there without those tentative, scary, first steps. And the steps keep coming: the painting you know could've technically been better even though people think it's lovely, or forgetting a bit on stage that no one else knows you forgot, but now it's gnawing at you, or the disagreements and resolutions that come with all forms of love. Every time you level up, the challenges level up with you. Get a job, and soon enough you’ll outgrow it and need a better job; get a house, and you’ll soon see the improvements you want to make, et cetera. Life has an incredible ability to meet you where you are, and then ask you to go further.

I'm not a traveler. As a child, we would shop in Plattsburgh, do day trips to county fairs where they wore unironic cowboy hats and rated livestock. We made it to Cape Cod a few times in the off season to admire the frigid ocean, and we’d spend a few days in Albany at least once a year to visit my paternal grandmother. Once she passed, the family trips faltered. The shopping trips stopped being fiscally beneficial, and the fairs faded into memories. (The memories smell like horse dung, fried dough, and the way the air changes from smoking hot summer days, to the cool nights that remind you fall isn't far off.)

When I was 30, I went to visit a friend in Florida. My first solo trip, my first flight, my first venture South of the Mason Dixon line. For a brief moment as a child, I'd thought it would be cool to be a pilot, but by the time I booked my flight, I was petrified of the concept. I'd spent weeks waking up in a sweat, feeling claustrophobic, and far too high in the sky. Sobbing in fear as I was getting ready to board (the pharmaceuticals obviously hadn't kicked in yet), a cliché of an American man with his set jaw and brush cut looked and my paperwork as I snotted. “Don't you work at a yoga studio?” he asked. “Yes,” I replied. “Can't you like, breathe?” Touché, Mr. America, but right then, I couldn't.

I touched down in Florida in January (and for the first time ever, experienced the mind fuck of getting on a plane in the snow and stepping out into the sun. We take this for granted, but when we consider that it was 2009, and commercial flights started in 1914, in reality, I was part of the 5 lucky generations that had ever experienced such a thing in human history). I traded my boots for flip flops, and visited the ocean for the first time in my adult life. I smiled as happy tears rolled softly down my face: without the ocean and sun, we would never have existed. We wouldn't have made it to caves, let alone to skyscrapers, and it felt like meeting God after a long absence. In the realm of more material pleasures, I was eager to see and try everything. I learned that sweet tea is far too sweet for me, and had some delicious southern coleslaw that I can't explain. To be clear, I visited a few towns and cities while I was there, but I stayed in the uh, real Florida, not the music video backdrop part. The parts of the state that shoot fireworks and guns for Independence Day.

Exploring a 24 hour Walmart Superstore in the middle of the night, I was like a kid at Christmas, and an alien seeing everything for the first time. There was brief culture shock at the sight of bullets and Hawaiian Punch on sale in the same spot, followed by unbridled joy when I discovered the tiniest Ben & Jerry's containers for 99¢ so you could try different flavors. And where did all those flavours come from?! We don't have them in Canada! Everything made me giddy.

I fell in love with the low skyline, and pastel paint jobs that perfectly complemented the spectrum of the sky, from the blushing sunrise, through the brief hard rain that arrived every afternoon, to the blazing, surreal sunsets. I promised myself I would be back, that I would travel more in general. I haven't left Canada since.

My Kiddo caught all the travel genes: mine, hers, everyone's. While her dad’s side of the family digs a good vacay, my kid can barely sit still. If she's here, she's booking a flight to somewhere else. If she's elsewhere, she's bound to meet someone who tells her about another place, and the seed begins growing before she's made it home. When she invited me to go to Philadelphia with her and her husband to receive her master's degree, I knew I had to go.

The planning started months ago. As a non-traveler, I had to get a fresh new passport; as we'll also be celebrating my daughter's 27th birthday while we're there, we needed restaurant reservations, and touristy tickets. And now, the time has come. The roadtrip happens this week, and for the first time since I was a child, I’ll have the backseat to myself while I release my responsibilities, control, and regularly scheduled life. Things will be fresh and exciting, and there will also be mind fucks. Watching my daughter collect her master's degree is a helluva milestone, a rare feat in the grand scheme. Sharing her 27th birthday with her will be a blessing; I am unspeakably lucky that she chooses my company, and it will also remind me where I was 27 short / long years ago. For the first time in ages, I will be sharing a multi-generational room, and it already reminds me of visiting my grandmother as a child, sharing the living room with my parents, while she slept in her room. This time I'm the parent, and the mother-in-law, and that's wild, isn't it?

Right now I have packing to do (how can I pick only a few outfits?!), and a cat to explain my plans to (I promise, it won't be long, I'm not giving you away, my sister will only be here for a few sleeps). Part 2 will be written internationally and post-trip, and I can't wait to see what I’ll have to say by then.

OPEN FOR (THEATRE) business

It’s that time of the year again! As FringeMTL approaches, we have officially opened this year’s Forget The Box x FringeMTL Review Lottery! This year we’ll be covering 25 productions, which is just over a quarter of the festival. Check out Creative Director Andrew Jamieson’s letter to Fringe Artists, and all the details you need HERE.

What Goes Up…

Featuring ten performers, Tout s’effondre reveals the poetry of cycles of collapse and rebirth. It’s a show in which humanity constantly reinvents itself.

This new creation by Helen Simard (We All Fall Down) offers a powerful reflection on falling, both physically and symbolically, revealing the raw beauty of collapse as it oscillates between virtuosity and vulnerability. This piece for nine dancers and one musician explores the plurality of the human condition through order and disorder, action and inaction, the individual and the collective. A touching work where resistance and hope coexist.

WHAT: Tout s'effondre

WHERE: Agora de la dance, 1435 Bleury St., #102, Montreal, H3A 2H7

WHEN: May 7, 8 & 9 @ 7 PM, Saturday, May 10 @ 4 PM

METRO: Place-des-arts (Green)

DETAILS: AgoraDanse

Do You Do Words?

Come share some words, or just catch the literary waves! Chimera is an open mic event where people can read their poetry and/or fiction to a supportive audience. Everyone is welcome, whether you want to read or listen!

This event is show-up / sign-up, 5 minute time limit per reader. Plus, the store will be open, so you can treasure hunt at the same time!

WHAT: Chimera Open Mic: Read Your Own Works of Poetry & Fiction at Phoenix Books

WHERE: Phoenix Books, 5924 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, H4A 1X7

WHEN: Thursday, May 8 @ 7 PM

METRO: Vendôme (Orange)

DETAILS: Facebook

A Hilarious Hang

It's a night of hilarious comedy in the heart of Montreal. The vibe is cozy and warm, and the comics are killers! This week, Aseem headlines a killer lineup, featuring Brytn Beggs, Dawn Ford, George Assily, and Elspeth Wright.

Want to tell some jokes? Want to watch local comics try their latest funnies? Wet’n’Wild Bucket List Open Mic Competition starts at 10 PM. Show-up / Sign-up. I co-host this bad boy, so while I'm totally biased, I'm also correct when I say it's fantastic. The night’s winner gets a spot on an upcoming early show! Plus, the hang is hot! (Speaking of hot, if you order tea, they give it to you in the prettiest teacups. They've also got coconut water and kombucha…and booze. They have booze.)

WHAT: Comedy on Mackay #23

WHERE: NsurMackay, 1244 Mackay St., Montreal, H3G 2H4

WHEN: Tuesday, May 13 @ 8 PM, Open Mic @ 10 PM

METRO: Guy-Concordia (Green) & Lucien-l'Allier (Orange)

TICKETS: Eventbrite

World’s Smallest Comedy Night has so many cool things happening, so here are their events this week in order!

What Do You Know? Like, Seriously…

Tonight! Come to Hurley's for Trivia Night, and get bonus laughter! The theme for this week is The Simpsons! Grab a pint, enjoy delicious pub fare, and get ready to show off your trivia skills. Grab your team, and enjoy this night of comedy, friendly competition, and great company. Hosted by Vance Michel, this week features James Mancini, and Peter Bowen.

WHAT: Trivia Night at Hurley's

WHERE: Hurley's Irish Pub, 1225 Crescent St., Montreal, H3G 2B1

WHEN: Every Wednesday @ 8 PM

METRO: Lucien l'Allier (Orange) & Guy-Concordia (Green)

RSVP: Eventbrite

Friday Jr.

Thursday, head West for more killer comedy!

Welcome to the Rustik Comedy Night!

Get ready to laugh your socks off at Rustik Pub & Grill!

Montreal's most talented comedians and touring pros hit the stage at the legendary local haunt, Rustik. Make your East-side friends come to your part of town for a change, or come explore the NDG for yourself! It's a chill and hilarious night every time.

Grab your tickets now and save a few bucks: $15 in advance, $20 at the door

WHAT: Rustik Comedy

WHERE: Rustik Pub & Grill, 5621 Sherbrooke St. W., Montreal, H4A 1W4

WHEN: Thursday, February 13, Doors @ 7 PM

METRO: Vendôme (Orange)

TICKETS: Eventbrite

Classic Coke

Beat the Monday Blues with WSC’s OG offering, The World's Smallest Comedy Night!

Enjoy a showcase of the best comedians in the city, hot up-and-comers, national and international touring comics, and surprises!

Hosted by Vance Michel, this week features Tony McIntyre, Charles Montgomery, Miguel McKenna, Anil Ramcharand, Fred Belanger, Gotham Kasy, Michael Farkas Sloan Kooshan, Samson Cooperman, and Shosho Abotouk.

WHAT: The World's Smallest Comedy Night

WHERE: Hurley's Irish Pub, 1225 Crescent St., Montreal, H3G 2B1

WHEN: Monday, May 12 Doors @ 7 PM, Show @ 8 PM

METRO: Lucien l'Allier (Orange) & Guy-Concordia (Green)

TICKETS: Eventbrite

Dirty Monday

The Monday Night Dirty Mic is the place to be! Hosted by Vance Michel, every show is an unpredictable and unique experience as a hilarious collection of comedians from newbs to pros take the stage. See the best before anyone else, and catch seasoned locals doing their freshest funnies!

Comics: show-up, sign-up!