As a kid, I watched The Dick Van Dyke Show. I was six or seven. At that age, my idea of career and work came from what I saw in my close and extended family. Traditional jobs. Office work. Blue-collar work. The usual.

So The Dick Van Dyke Show blew my little mind.

The setup was simple: Rob Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) worked with Buddy (Morey Amsterdam) and Sally (Rose Marie) to write comedy for their demanding boss, Alan Brady (Carl Reiner). How cleverly meta it was, to have a show about a show. It pulled back the curtain on the TV industry, a fresh concept back then. But all of that nuance was lost on me.

What grabbed me was the vibe. The job was creative. It was collaborative. And it looked like a blast. Rob, Buddy, and Sally spent their days cracking jokes and having fun.

Even as a kid, I thought, That’s it. That’s the kind of work I want to do. Creative. Fun. Full of laughs.

And here I am at 64, still thinking about that. I’ve experienced it here and there, in my work and when taking improv class. I’m here for more.