Sara Dahms: Notes From a Comedy Friend
Contributed By Lu “Ladybug” a fellow comedy superfan, and huge supporter of stand up comedy
Sara Dahms and I became friends during the pandemic, through a comedy podcast over zoom, but not right away…on my end alone. See, I’m cynical, dark and some say vicious when it comes to my comedy and my outward persona and I cringe at overly happy, bubbly people, as I did when I first met Sara. (Imagine being annoyed at someone else’s happiness?!) Sara laughed too honestly for my suspicious mind. It was a pure, heartfelt, joy of life, kinda laugh and I didn’t understand it, I’ve never felt that, so naturally I do what I do, dis and dismiss it. Sara was even the target of some of my digs, but, damn it, she loved it. Always telling me how funny she thought I was. We went through that awkward phase of “Hey, you know I’m only kidding, right?”. It was a very quick phase, because we both realized that we were in love with the same thing – comedy. Not just laughing at funny bits, but the guts of comedy. The intricate weaving of carefully chosen words, taboo subjects, impeccable timing, whether it be about silly relationship observations or a dark look into the most tragic human experiences, as long as they were original and, of course, funny. I respected and trusted her views on comedy and we aligned as avid defenders of comedy and comedians. I think the only time I remember her not smiling was when she got angry (an angry Sara was adorable, but you knew she was serious) defending the latest attempt at censorship against this sacred art.
In the last few weeks, Sara, myself and another friend, were planning to start a podcast. When she approached me with the idea, my first thought was ‘Everyone has a podcast and no one would listen.” (my own insecurities tend to lash out immediately) She had every answer and valid reason why we should, because this was her passion. This was her life. This, anything comedy, was her. And she saw it in me, too. Sara wanted to talk about how comedy brings people together. That was to be the core of the podcast. With all the negativity about comedy and comedians in the news over the last few years, she wanted to combat it with discussions of how the strangest walks of life have come and should come together to laugh. Perfect idea for us, knowing our beginning. She was the happiest person I’d ever met. No one loved life more than Sara. That’s not a cliché. That phrase gets said a lot when people die, and I’m sure to some extent it’s true, but those words were made for Sara. And in that sense, we were polar opposites. She saw past that, from the beginning, because, for Sara, everyone was a friend from the get.
A lot has and will be said about Sara, from every walk of life and I can guarantee you one thing – not a single bit of it will be negative. She never let anyone dictate her mood. She wasn’t brought down by negativity. Sara lived like no other person I’ve ever met. No one has ever enjoyed living more than that curly haired, unapologetically loud laughing, happy soul.
Sara Dahms’ shine has affected countless lives. My Sara story, although brief and only partially told (I’m an extremely private person and sharing even this much is way out of my comfort zone), is a drop in the bucket of a life overflowing with joy, friendship, acceptance and love.
Every life should have a Sara in it. I’m grateful mine did.
