A little over a year ago, I got to embark on a little experiment.
The idea was to write a little bit of comedy. Something generally light, apolitical, and above all: good-natured.
Since then, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to write (most) Fridays, offering up a little dose of humour for the end of the work week.
Together, we’ve learned about Lunar New Year.
We’ve tried dating in the city.
We got pooped on by a seagull.
And, in a popular recurring feature, we’ve learned about some popular attractions with one-star reviews.
I say “we” in all these instances, because I have been delighted to find a wonderful, loyal audience in Victoria for these posts. When I started out, I thought it would be a good idea, as a rookie humour writer, to invite criticism.
What I was surprised at was how often I got emails from people telling me I had made their day. And in later weeks, others would tell me that they looked forward to reading my posts on Friday — to those particular folks, I can only apologize for slacking off my weekly schedule in recent months.
That leads me to why I’ve come to the decision to end the run of Ford on Fridays, though.
And yes, it is my decision, and my decision alone. The good folks of Victoria Buzz have been unbelievably generous in essentially letting me write whatever the heck I want, and have been perfectly prepared to let me carry on in perpetuity.
So with a loyal fanbase and support of the outlet, why leave?
It comes down to two things, folks. Two things we’re all familiar with. Time and energy.
Time is pretty tight for me, between another job, other writing, and just needing to take care of myself and my dog.
As for energy, it will likely come as no surprise to anyone that coming up with funny things to say during a period of prolonged human misery is tricky.
That, though, does bring me to the last and perhaps most important thing I have to say, and why I asked Vic Buzz to let me ride once more before the departure.
If there’s one thing I’ve strived for in these posts, it’s to find the funny in a way that isn’t harmful. You might hear some comedians out there claim that’s an effect of cancel culture. But that’s not really the case.
It’s more that comedy — GOOD comedy — should uplift, educate, and, when necessary, target the powerful. I’ve not taken a lot of wild swings at powerful folks on here, mostly because of intricacies with the day job and such, but what I have always strived for is trying to show people the funny in a way that lightens, not burdens.
So today, in a week with a lot of heavy stuff in an already heavy month with what will likely be a heavy year, that’s what I hope I can leave you all with: that the best thing we can do for the world and each other is to lighten things up, even just a little bit.
And because I don’t want this to just be some vacuous, empty, “choose positivity” type of advice, let me say to you all, while I have your attention one last time, that lightening up the world can take on many forms.
Volunteer at a shelter. Donate money. Run for office. Pick up trash.
And above all, when you look to make people laugh: remember to pick your targets with care, place yourself in the butt of the joke, and let fly with the lines that lighten up the air.
Do that, and you’ll never miss.
Thank you for reading.
This is the final installment of Ford on Fridays: a weekly column where Victoria Buzz staff writer Tim Ford offers his thoughts on life, love, and the pursuit of the perfect joke.
This column is for comedic purposes only. Please feel free to send feedback, thoughts, and [constructive] criticisms to tim@victoriabuzz.com.
