I Drink to Coco

Normally I don't comment on my personal preferences on this blog outside of quips about society and pharmacy. I like to keep the blog somewhat focused, call it anal retentive if you will.

Last night though, Mrs Phathead and I sat down to watch the final Tonight Show with Conan O'brien. I have followed the story quite closely the last few weeks as Conan has been part of my weekly schedule for almost a decade now. To say I am upset at the notion that it will be several months, if at all, until I am able to end my night watching Conan and Andy exchange barbs is an understatement.

Curiously, when the topic comes up on message boards I frequent or conversations I have, there are numerous individuals who claim, "Who cares, he's getting paid millions to leave a show while there are much more important things going on in life right now."

And I do agree with that. To a point.

But they are missing the much larger picture. One of things that I noticed about Conan, and that several are now picking up are, is that he is a micro chasm of my generation.

Insecure, but confident. Goofy, but serious. Self-depreciating, yet self-aware.

This, generally, is what my generation is all about. That is why the majority of fans of his are my age, we can identify with a nearly 50 year old comedian better than most celebrities. He is able to laugh about his faults and we realize that it is okay to laugh at our own.

It is not surprising that his type of show did not transition well immediately to the Tonight Show. In some ways, he is an acquired taste and I understand that.

And during the sparing that went back and forth on his show these past two weeks, he always reminded the viewers that there is a larger world out there, and events like the earthquake in Haiti serve as a reminder of that.

Because of that, I understand how minuscule these squabbles have been compared to real life. Sure he is getting millions of dollars to leave a television show. But remember that not only he, but 200 of his staff moved across the country for their dream job. A job they would thought would last them for years and years, not seven months.

Is a tragic? You bet it is. Is it in the same scale as the situation in Haiti? Of course not.

But you have to respect who he is as a person and what he means to many of us. His closing speech, and accompanying musical number, was one of the most classy moments of TV I have seen in a long time. He then made a statement which I think far too many people do not take to heart. It is the statement which spawned this deviation from my normal postings.

To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I'll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere.

Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen.

And with that statement, I raised my glass and had a drink in his honor. Because it says a lot of a man in his situation, and in the job that he is in, to make a statement like that.

Life is not about the money, or about the job, but what you do with it. Perhaps more people need to be reminded of that fact.