(I have to admit, I am a bit of a grammar freak, and writing the above spellings incorrectly has me a bit stressed out, but in the spirit of 'summatime', I'm going to go with the flow :) )
When your last blog post is from December, you know it's been a busy season. I think people like to talk about life in a linear way, or organized into neat little weeks, or schedules. I've learned my life tends to work more in seasons- recognizing that delicate balance between routine and spontaneity, between 'going after your dreams' and providing for basic needs. Either way, this season has been marked with a ton of work.
As you may know, I work for a charity. We are working tirelessly every day to feed hungry people and to create sustainable ways for people to emerge from poverty. I said tirelessly. That was a lie. We are tired. We are few and there is endless work to accomplish. We are already making a tremendous impact, and so this has been a season of work.
In addition to working for that company, I am also performing in a production of 'Company.' (see what I did there?) Returning to theatre after a ten year hiatus has been all of the things: frightening, rewarding, challenging, risky, time-consuming, fun. You do question sometimes after being away from something you love- something that defined you for such a long period of your life- that the magic won't be there anymore. That the talent may have evaporated, or something. But it is still there- and hopefully has grown with time and experience. We opened last weekend and have been having a blast.
The show is about Bobby, a 35 year old who is contemplating all of the issues surrounding marriage. As our cast is in their 20's to late 30's, it's a great show for all of us, on the varying plane of relationship statuses, to work on and work through. Life imitates art, and good art illuminates life.
After the show retires in a couple of weeks, I'm already looking ahead to 'returning' to music in a more full time capacity. It's been a few years since I've written an album, and all of the questions arise- will I still be able to write songs? Will they be any good? What if it's been too long? What if all of my sweat droplets earned over many years of work have evaporated? And yet, just as with Company, I am hopeful that, with this approaching season, that my music has grown, has had more experience, has had more time to breathe. Because good art illuminates life. And I have grown, I have learned, and I have much more to share.