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Sometimes it just feels good to get back to your roots.

Of course that can mean a lot of things. Cue RomCom where the girl goes to Italy to rediscover her past and finds love on the Amalfi Coast and accidentally lets a gust of wind sprinkle Grandpa’s ashes on a stranger’s picnic feast.

Not those roots.

But rather the places where something big began. The stages, the towns, the people that remind you exactly who you are when everything else gets a bit noisy.

Last week was full of bangers and roots.

Had a banger of a show at Second City on the E.T.C Stage. I started my career at Second City Chicago and always loved that stage. My favorite revues and comedians were always playing that stage, and to be back on that stage doing standup — and murdering — felt like a full circle moment.

The same stage I watched my comedy heroes on when I was just a young twenty-something kid trying to figure out if I was actually funny or just delusional.

Turns out, both can be true.

Then Friday, friends who've watched this whole journey from St. Croix were in the front row at Blackout Diaries. People who knew you before the credits, before the special, before any of it — those are the roots that travel with you.

And so does the gray hair, of course.

The Hustle

Roots aren't always glamorous.

Sometimes they look like a Second City stage on a Tuesday night.

And sometimes they look like a Wisconsin tool shed on a Saturday morning, picking up dead mice with a dog poop shovel, and hosing down unused patio furniture for a much needed clutter-purge garage sale for Mom.

I spent the Saturday and Sunday helping mom clear out the basement, garage, shed, and yard. It was a LOT of work. The kind that reminds you of your farming days and how much you can actually get done with a few extra sets of hands, and a decently pressured hose.

There's something almost sacred about sorting through stuff with someone you love.

Every box is a memory. Every gadget has a qualifying story behind its purchase. Every donation bag is a tiny act of letting go. Every "should we keep this?" is really trying to justify the purchase in the first place…

Mom has so much life and energy in her.

Watching her power through that weekend — grateful, relieved, dealing with pop-up tents that won’t pop back down — reminded me that showing up with your hands and your time is sometimes the most important thing you can do for someone.

No stage. No attention. Just two women in a shed making order out of chaos. Weeding the garden.

Pulling up roots while feeling yours getting replanted.

The Chill

Being rooted doesn't mean being stuck.

It means knowing where to return to when you think you’re feeling stuck — The stage that started it all. The town that holds over a decade of memories. The basement that holds an entire family’s lives tucked away in dusty cardboard boxes and rubbermaids.

I drive back to Wisconsin these days more than most people drive to the grocery store. And every time I pull off that highway, something in my nervous system just... exhales.

Dad is everywhere there. In the house, in the yard, in the shed full of tools he used for his siding jobs, that weird chair in the garage where he liked to sit and stare at the street.

Helping mom this weekend wasn't just logistical. It was part of both remembering and letting go.

And also genuinely great exercise so win-win.

The bangers remind you what you're capable of. The roots remind you why you started. The combo keeps the momentum going.

Go find both this week. Preferably in that order.

Maybe bring a hose… and a poo shovel.

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Upcoming Shows

Tickets are soon going to be limited for my Madison Comedy Week Headlining night! Correction - last newsletter I wrote the wrong date (although ticket link was correct) - spread the word and don’t wait to grab tickets to see me Friday August 7th in Madison!!

Other recommended upcoming shows:

Weds July 22nd — Laugh Factory Chicago

Sun July 26th — Laugh Factory Chicago

Sat Aug 22nd — The Pabst Theater Milwaukee with Natalie Cuomo

Thurs Sept 24 — Headlining The Plus in Eau Claire

Love you all and cheers to the hustle + chill. We let our roots hold us together.

xx NPH