I am a grateful mythical beast

Inspired by my friend Priscilla, I wanted to write a little bit about how I found Rhett and Link and how they saved me

On March 24, 2016, I was driving to comic con with friends. I was sitting in the back seat and my nephew was listening to a YouTube show on his iPad in the front seat. I started listening and immediately was drawn into the hilarious conversation these two guys were having. They were talking about types of friends to have. “This is Rhett and Link,” Ryle explained. “They’re pretty funny.” The next day at comic con they showed me another episode. They were eating raw eggs and it was so funny to watch. That night I pulled up YouTube and searched for their channel. I started watching episodes and I became hooked. These guys were funny and smart and charming and silly and talented. I started to watch all their GMM episodes and their music videos and their show became a part of my daily routine.

Fast forward to April. I went in for an ultrasound because I’d been having some pelvic pain and my doctor and I assumed that I had a little cyst or something. The ultrasound showed a very large tumor in my left ovary. The radiologist said it could be benign but it also could very well be ovarian cancer and it had cancer-like features. The only way to know for sure was to have surgery to have it removed. The next few weeks were filled with dread and anxiety and fear. I didn’t know if my days were numbered. Was it cancer? If I was then what stage was it? Would I need chemo or radiation? If it was cancer the surgeon would basically be gutting me and I’d end up with a hysterectomy at the age of 32. I’ve always wanted kids of my own and the fear that it could never happen added another layer of anxiety to everything else I was dealing with. I had a great support system of family and friends during those days but eventually it became so emotionally exhausting to talk about what was going on. I needed an escape from what I was feeling. I needed to be distracted, if only for a few minutes and that is where Good Mythical Morning and Rhett and Link really saved me. I knew I could count on them to make me laugh and smile, even when things seemed darkest. I didn’t have to talk about how I was feeling or explain what was going on or worry about the future. I could just sit back and lose myself in their antics for a few minutes every morning. It kept me from really going to a dark place with my anxiety. Surgery came and went and the first thing they told me when I woke up from anesthesia was that the tumor was completely benign!

I had to take a week off work for recovery and I spent my days watching GMM and their sketches and music videos. I bought Commercial Kings and started listening to Ear Biscuits. Having them around to keep me company when I was home alone and make me laugh helped me get through my recovery. I didn’t think about the post-surgical pain when I was too busy laughing at GMM or singing along to the It’s My Belly Button song.

It was during these weeks that I began to call myself a mythical beast. I joined twitter and started interacting with other mythical beasts. The community I found online were people who loved Rhett and Link and had their own stories of how Rhett and Link had helped them. These people have become dear friends and I’m so grateful to know them.

In January, I had the privilege of meeting Rhett and Link when they came to the Sundance Film Festival. Through the twitter mythical beasts and the amazing Stevie Wynne Levine, my friends and I were able to meet them and it is still the best day of my life. We got to spend 10 minutes with them and I was so full of excitement and adrenaline I’m pretty sure I spend most of it babbling on about how much of their content I’ve watched, and how great Rhett’s hair was. They are just as charming and sweet and kind and funny in real life as they seem online. We thought we missed our chance but sweet Stevie sent them out again to meet us. They came out in a snowstorm to meet US and the idea still makes me tear up six months later.

When I see them again I want to give them each a big hug and tell them that their content has gotten me through many dark days. For every bad day, I know I can watch GMM or Buddy System and I’m going to laugh. And to make someone laugh is a true gift, indeed. The idea of being my mythical best has become my personal motto and I live each day, trying to be a better person than I was the day before.

They are so much more than just two guys who eat weird things and sing silly songs. They are creators and innovators and entertainers. They are funny and witty and charming and talented and weird and humble and I want to be like that too. Knowing they started in a basement in North Carolina to where they are now is inspiring. It’s never too late to live the life you want. There is so much on the horizon for them: a new season of GMM and Buddy System, a book, a tour, and who knows what other plans are in the works? I proudly call myself a mythical beast now and I will always be grateful for Rhett and Link and this incredible community they have created.