Life Is Delicious Ambiguity

Today’s post was inspired by an adventure Matt and I went on last night in Old Town, Chicago.

We saw our first Second City show! I’m not usually a big fan of stand-up comedy (a harsh truth my husband just learned a couple years ago), but The Second City is an improv and sketch comedy group that I can’t help but love because it has so much history. The legendary group first started in Chicago (not too far from its current location that we visited) and goes back decades (1959, to be exact). A lot of famous comedians came from The Second City, including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Steve Carell, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and so many more.

As we were walking around after the show, I took pictures of several quotes that were on the walls from some of The Second City’s most notable alumni. I didn’t really look at them too hard until we were hanging out at a brewery before heading home. There was one quote, in particular, that really stuck in my mind, and I wanted it to be the focus of my first post this week.

Gilda Radner joined The Second City before becoming one of the original members of Saturday Night Live. I knew her name well, but I didn’t know much about her. The more I learn about her, the more fascinated I become with the ups and downs of her life and her perspective on it all.

I believe this came from her memoir titled, It’s Always Something. Here’s the full quote I found online that has more context:

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.

-Gilda Radner

This all means so much more when you learn that Gilda eventually passed from ovarian cancer at age 42, after having gone into remission. It’s heartbreaking to read about, and apparently this post has turned heavy for a Monday morning. Sorry!

Moral of the story, let go of your expectations and make the most of the things that happen to you. There’s a sort of sweetness to never knowing what will happen next, but it’s up to us to embrace the hand we’ve been dealt and make sure we really live every day we are given.

Considering Mondays can feel a lot harder than the rest of the week, I challenge you to make it a good day despite the struggle…and keep that mindset going!