“I'm A Snitch”
Have you ever felt like you've won the lottery?
I’m J Smiles, comedian, Alzheimer’s and Dementia activist, and family caregiver. You may know me from Parenting Up™, where we’re a family of caregivers taking care of our family members together. Welcome to P.U.B. the Parenting Up Blog.
Have you ever felt like you've won the lottery? Not necessarily money, although that would be amazing! But has something so life changing happened to you, that you felt like you've hit the lottery? Well, family, I hit the lottery! All the stars of hard work, blessings, and opportunity aligned for your girl. I was hired to do an all caregiver comedy set.
I can truly say that I wouldn't be here without the foundation of hard work. My parents instilled that into the core of my being since I was a child. The blessings come from being highly favored, and the fact that I sincerely try to be the best version of myself that I can be. Of course, the opportunities come when the Lord opens the doors.
So, I had to take full advantage of these stars aligning. I can honestly say that I had the attention of the crowd from the start. BUT, they weren't with me with me. I don't think I understood at first just how nitty gritty I could get with them. Of course, what would my caregiver testimony be without mentioning my mother. Well, more like snitching on my mother. Zetty has always been a very secretive person, so I don't think that she would approve of some of her most personal dirt coming to the light. But, by 20 minutes in, yawl, the crowd was laughing hysterically.
Yes, I felt kind of bad about snitching on my mama, but I had to give the people what they wanted. Being a caregiver can be a very stressful and thankless job. I was happy to be a place of laughter and joy for them. There's a gospel song that says, "If I can help someone along the way, then my living isn't in vain." Yes, I spoke of experiences of my mother's journey that wasn't the easiest at the time for me or her. But to keep such experiences private and to myself when they could be laughter and a good experience to someone else would be selfish. Indeed, I snitched on my mama, but I think these stitches were worth it.
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🎧Full audio podcast episode for this blog post: I'm a snitch!
