I started watching the show "Impractical Jokers" for no real reason other than the fact that it was on and I was bored. Honestly, hidden camera/"prank" shows were never really my thing. But there was something different about what I was seeing, something so intriguing about the four guys on my screen that were acting like total idiots. They were endearing, charming, funny. And I was hooked.

On the 17th of December, I was lucky enough to see Murr, Q, Sal, and Joe (aka the Impractical Jokers; aka The Tenderloins) live and in person. I had grown attached to them since I had started watching the show about a year and a half ago but I didn't expect the emotional reaction I ended up having when they came out on stage. I cried. Yes, I cried. Before they stepped out, a little montage from the show was played which already had me laughing and on the verge of tears just from the hilarity. But, when I saw them, truly saw them in the flesh, I became so overwhelmed. I think part of the emotion I felt that night came about because I realized that these guys were actually real. They weren't actors, they were themselves and they always had been. I knew them, I found myself thinking, even though I had never met them. They were the guys that made me laugh out loud even when I was by myself.

Here were these four guys who had gotten me through so much. My entire life, I've looked for escapes. As someone who suffers from various mental and physical illnesses (social phobia, depression, Ehlers-Danlos, etc.), finding something that could always make me laugh was the most wonderful gift I could ever hope to find. Finding joy through the pain was something that had always been difficult and some days felt impossible. But then I found these four dorks, four guys that brought so much joy and laughter to an otherwise dreary existence.

I have never laughed as much as I did that night. They made me forget about everything. I forgot about my anxiety. I forgot about my physical pain. They made me feel present, alive, joyful. And I cannot thank them enough for that. It's only been a few weeks but I'm already longing to see them again (which hopefully will be happening in July).

So Murr, Q, Sal, and Joe, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for all that you do. You've brought families together, you've brought joy to people that feel hopeless, you've brought laughter back into homes.

Keep being idiots, my dudes.