The Song Of Existence

Speaking of listening to the sounds of nature, I’ll leave you to contemplate this phenomenal poem from the great Walt Whitman. Enjoy your weekend. Get outside. Walk. Linger. Listen.

SONG OF MYSELF
Section 26

Now I will do nothing but listen,
To accrue what I hear into this song, to let sounds contribute toward it.

I hear bravuras of birds, bustle of growing wheat, gossip of flames,
clack of sticks cooking my meals,
I hear the sound I love, the sound of the human voice,
I hear all sounds running together, combined, fused or following,
Sounds of the city and sounds out of the city, sounds of the day and night,
Talkative young ones to those that like them, the loud laugh of
work-people at their meals,
The angry base of disjointed friendship, the faint tones of the sick,
The judge with hands tight to the desk, his pallid lips pronouncing
a death-sentence,
The heave’e’yo of stevedores unlading ships by the wharves, the
refrain of the anchor-lifters,
The ring of alarm-bells, the cry of fire, the whirr of swift-streaking
engines and hose-carts with premonitory tinkles and color’d lights,
The steam-whistle, the solid roll of the train of approaching cars,
The slow march play’d at the head of the association marching two and two,
(They go to guard some corpse, the flag-tops are draped with black muslin.)

I hear the violoncello, (’tis the young man’s heart’s complaint,)
I hear the key’d cornet, it glides quickly in through my ears,
It shakes mad-sweet pangs through my belly and breast.

I hear the chorus, it is a grand opera,
Ah this indeed is music — this suits me.

A tenor large and fresh as the creation fills me,
The orbic flex of his mouth is pouring and filling me full.

I hear the train’d soprano (what work with hers is this?)
The orchestra whirls me wider than Uranus flies,
It wrenches such ardors from me I did not know I possess’d them,
It sails me, I dab with bare feet, they are lick’d by the indolent waves,
I am cut by bitter and angry hail, I lose my breath,
Steep’d amid honey’d morphine, my windpipe throttled in fakes of death,
At length let up again to feel the puzzle of puzzles,
And that we call Being.

P.S. – You can also listen to a fantastic reading of the poem here. (H/t to Maria Popova’s phenomenal blog, The Marginalian for providing.)

In A Hurry

It’s impossible to…

…Be kind.

…Be present.

…Be grateful.

…Be helpful

…Be patient.

…Be joyful.

…Be good.

…Be focused.

…Be relaxed.

…Be confident

…Be loving.

Or embody any other positive and productive trait when you’re…

…In a hurry.

You’re too distracted,

So don’t be in a hurry.

Be on time.

Better yet.

Be early.

It will make a huge difference in your overall quality of life.

Wind Rustling In Trees

One of the many wonderful things about working in depth on a great play and character is how it works on you. I’ve recommended before having an anchor play. Something you can read and reflect on every day, even if it’s just 5 minutes. That constancy of effort over a long period of time (I recommend one year at least) will yield amazing discoveries. You’ll start to notice things you never did before. You’ll look at the world with fresh eyes. You’ll have greater empathy and tolerance for people. I could go on and on about the myriad benefits of this practice.

One personal example…I’ve been working on Astrov in Uncle Vanya for years now. As a result, I’m much more appreciative of nature. I take long walks just to look, listen and linger. I try to take in everything. One thing I always notice is the wind rustling in trees. It’s a beautiful sight and sound and the variations are infinite. I’m grateful for how the play and part have worked on me

I’ll leave you with this long, relaxing clip of wind rustling through birch trees. But do yourself a favor, get outside and see and listen for yourself.

The Right School

In ten days, millions of high school seniors, including my son Truman, will decide which college is right for them.  Where do they want spend four of their most formative years. For many, it can be a daunting and overwhelming decision.

Here’s some of the advice I gave Truman:

(1) Start with gratitude. The fact that you even can attend college, let alone have some good options, puts you way ahead.  Not everyone has this choice.  Be thankful for this opportunity.

(2) If you don’t know, pick the school where you “can see yourself there.”  Something that “feels kinda right.”  Don’t over-analyze why it feels right.  If it does, go with that.

(3) Don’t worry if after you pick, you’re still unsure.  For every person who attends their “dream school”, there are hundreds who just chose. And it worked out great. Often better.

(4) Any school becomes the right school if you make great friends there.  People you have fun and make memories with, who are different than you and you can learn from, who bring out your best, and who are still in your life decades later. (I’m fortunate to have those kinds of friendships from my University of Chicago experience. What a gift.)

(5) Once you pick, make it stick.  Lean in to your choice and go all in.  Don’t look back. Otherwise when the inevitable difficulty arises…the tough class, the brutal weather, the homesickness, etc…you will want to quit.  If you can push through and get to the other side, that’s where the magic happens.

(6) Once you get to campus, go first.  Be outside as much as possible. Get your head out of your phone.  Make eye contact. Smile.  Say hello.  Sign up for stuff. Join clubs and teams. Go to games, parties, events.  Volunteer.  Get an on-campus job.  Take every class that interests you, not just the ones that are “practical” or for your major.  If someone asks you to do something, say yes. Go to every single class. Sit up front. Go to office hours.  Ask interesting questions. Join (or form your own) study groups.

If you do your part and control what you can control, any school you pick will be the right school. 

(Note: This advice also applies to jobs and projects and just about any situation you find yourself in.)

You Are The Art

You are the art.

The art is in you.

The goal of making art isn’t the art.

It’s who you become as a result of making the art.

It’s time to release the art that’s been inside you all along.

You are more than capable.

Go Make Your Art.

Capable

Perhaps you don’t feel capable, or that you lack the skills to achieve big goals.

Don’t worry.

As a result of setting and pursuing big goals, you will become the person who is more than capable of achieving them.

That’s the point of goals. And the reason you should always set big ones.

Vs. “Bring Your Art” Nights

Speaking of telling better stories

H/t to Suse Sternkopf for sharing the above 3 provocative quotes on last night’s Vs. “Bring Your Art” Night.

What is “Bring Your Art” night, you ask?

So we started doing Vs. Tuesday Night Readings on Zoom back in March, 2020. It was a way to keep art and community alive during Covid. Since then, we’ve done over 300 Tuesday Nights and read over 250 plays. (Prior to Covid, we used to do weekly live readings back in the old Vs. space. Also every Tuesday).

About 4 times per year or once per quarter, we host a night where anyone can bring in something to share with the group (i.e. their “art”). It can be a poem, monologue, scene, short story, journal entry, song, piece of writing, painting, sculpture, short film, favorite dance move, whatever…anything that’s meaningful or inspiring to the person sharing.

I so love these nights because (a) it gets everyone involved and (b) I am continually blown away by the talent and beautiful spirits of our community. I am very grateful for all of them.

Speaking of which, Suse shared the above 3 quotes and some context behind them, and now I am sharing with all of you.

Enjoy and I look forward to seeing you at the next “Bring Your Art” night!

Under Pressure

Feeling under pressure?

Good.

It means you have something you care about.

Most people don’t get that gift.

What a privilege.

Honor it.

Use it.

Do some good with it.

All you have to do is do it from your heart.

Give love.

Give love.

Give love.

That takes away any and all pressure.

X to Y

As much as possible, you want to avoid thinking and certainly saying, “I don’t want” statements. The reason? The more you express what you don’t want, the more you increase your chances of getting it. There’s even a name for this effect. It’s called the Ironic Process Theory and scientific studies validate it. This Sahil Bloom article goes into more detail.

So what to do about this effect?

Catch yourself in the act. Turn your X’s to Y’s.

The next time you feel yourself thinking “I don’t want X…”, turn it around. Instead think, “I want Y…”

For example, “I don’t want to be broke” turns to “I want to live a life where I am financially free and my money can make a real impact on the world.” Or, “I don’t want to work a job I hate” turns to “I want to engage in meaningful work that aligns with my passion.”

It’s a subtle shift, but it can be a game changer.

And like anything, it’s a habit, a practice, and thus, takes work. Don’t worry if you’re not perfect. Just be intentional.

At the very least, you’ll feel your mood and energy level improve. And that’s reason enough to try it, right?