Sunday Inspiration: Loving Good Into Existence

IBHS Drama Presents The Drowsy Chaperone

It's remarkable to me that extraordinary things can become commonplace. We live in a world so full of amazing things, but because we get used to them, or maybe because we can't look at them too closely because our eyes might burn out, they start to look regular. What a shameful injustice that most of us aren't able to keep that in perspective. The idea that amazing and remarkable things happen all around us and we simply lose our ability to see it is uniquely troubling.

I used to spend everyday of my career wrapped up in the wonder of creation. I was amazed that human creativity could happen. I was gobsmacked what kids could learn and how quickly they could learn it. I marveled at our ability to take nothing and turn it into something. It felt so special all the time.

Then, one day, I wasn't. It became harder, and I got tired. Really tired. And then COVID came and education got even harder. The world has become, in a lot of ways, less remarkable in that time. Hate got louder, and stupid got more important. Lazy and selfish found the justification to be even more lazy and more selfish. Or maybe it just all seems that way.

Recently however, I was given the opportunity to consider something though - maybe the good stuff never left. The distractions might have just been amplified and the ugly might have grown, but the good stuff was still here. Some of it went quiet. And some of it patiently waited for the distracted to find our attention again.This past weekend I was reminded of a particular kind of creative wonder - that creativity spawns more creativity. 

Aside: do I hate the word spawn? I think I do. Yes. I do. No comic book hate. Maybe because I can't think of it without thinking of frog spawn, and though I possess no ill-will for tadpoles or the ongoing health of amphibian driven ecosystems, I don't like the idea of creativity being spread through gelatinous oozing. I'll work on that.

Anyway, my friend Rachel, who runs the theatre program that used to be mine, put up a musical that I'd never seen before called The Drowsy Chaperone. It was a delightful show - well acted with fun music and great singing - a good old fashion rousing good time, but it wasn't the show that caught my attention - it was watching my friend watch her students win. Being a director is a special thing. One becomes like a creativity coach. Her whole demeanor was about their win, their success, and their ability to shine. Every compliment she bounced back to them. Every bit of spotlight she reflected. That's grace. That's wisdom. That's generosity. I've done that job and I know how much work it is. Loving something as big as a stage musical into existence is a challenge. Of course it's a team effort, and they clearly had a great team. Rachel's assistant director/music director Jeff is a force entire unto himself. I've worked with on many occasions and he makes everything he touches better. 

My point (and yes, I do have one) is that in a world where I started to look past the wonder, it's still there, and it's spreading. As long as there are committed people like Rachel, Jeff, and their team who are willing to take their love of creativity and teach others how to love it too, it will continue to grow. That's a wonderful thing, and shame on me for allowing myself to forget it, even for a little while.