Funny how a brief stroll down memory lane (by way of social media… it is good for many things) can remind you of things that you had forgotten, things that you’d really loved once upon a time. That’s what happened to me the other night.

It was 11:30 pm. I was contemplating going to sleep so that I could wake up early to start the first day of a much-needed cleanse. I decided to look for an old friend to see what he was up to these days and I was led to something else, then someone else, then another page, and something that looked funny (yes, I fell down the social media rabbit hole for a few minutes… it can be a trap, so be careful), but I landed in a world that I’d forgotten I’ve missed… the Arts (I’m italicizing, capitalizing, and bolding this so that you get a sense of how I feel about it. Make sure that when you read it, you say it with the right tone, expression, and elongation of the sounds… the Arts).

Yes, I’m an artist (no, not a painter, sculptor, or sketcher, though I’ve been known to dabble in some of the visual stuff). I’m talking artist in the big picture, creative sense of the word (think Erykah Badu at the beginning of “Tyrone”). An actor, a singer, a dancer, a writer, a performer… though I can’t say that anything in my life has reflected that fact very much in the last 10 years (or more).

For an interesting section of time… I’d forgotten. I forgot about the lights, the sets, and the sounds – the extensive preparation, the connections, the feelings, the emotions – the thrill of the theater, the backstage commotion, and the exhilaration of being on the stage. The other night, I remembered. The other night, I remembered something I loved.

The Arts were who I was for such a great part of my life, a truly enjoyable part of my life. Whether I was actually performing or attending a performance; acting, singing, dancing, speaking made me me. I miss that. I had forgotten.

I will chalk it up to living life. You know, going to work, paying the bills, trying to figure out how you’re going to pay the bills. Things you love to do just don’t seem to fit in to all of that sometimes.

I won’t forget again. I’m not going to go out and audition for anything, but perhaps a local theater subscription is in my future. I might need to put the Hamilton soundtrack on repeat again (thanks to some amazing friends for that theatrical experience last year). I may memorize a monologue or scene and work on some characterization 🙂 There are a few songs that I may need to try and belt out in the car on the way to work. And those tap shoes may need to be dusted off for a quick class or two this summer. We’ll see 🙂

The other night, I remembered something I loved. It hit me all at once. It caught me off guard. It got me thinking that we often leave things that give us joy by the wayside when life gets in the way. But life without those beautiful, simple, lovely things that bring us joy is not quite life at all, is it?