I recently finished the second of five levels in Improv training at Second City Toronto. It was a nerve racking and exhilarating experience. Each week I would walk away exhausted from thinking about how well I was 'playing' with others and whether certain character or scene choices I made could have been played better. Or when that person said that thing 'they were just acting right? There was no hidden meaning... right?'
We graduated last night (yep I finished very recently) and I realized that something amazing had taken place between this diverse bunch of people. Our ages spanned several generations, our backgrounds were as diverse as the food choices in Toronto yet Improv bound us all with it's whimsical call to 'come and play.' We each used our differences to play hard, to find the thrilling and beautiful moment that could take place when you simply let spontaneous creativity guide you and DON'T OVER THINK IT!
I love to laugh and I am willing to admit I completely and enthusiastically enjoy laughing at others. OH THE HORROR. I know our mother's always said you should be laughing with them not at them. But I'm afraid I love to see people in that desperate moment of what do I say next and all the funniness that happens when a group of people fail together with absolute comedic gold. In fact I'm renowned for my laugh. And though in a new city I could try and reinvent myself I have chosen not to tamper with my funny button. In fact it is now on my permanent record at Second City that I 'enjoy watching others, Kathryn is our most frequent laugher.' How's that for a report card!
I am unashamed of the enjoyment I get from watching the incredible beauty, funniness and joy there is in humanity. To be quick to laugh is to be quick to see the beauty, joy, friendliness, kindness and fun in life. It is to enjoy each moment rather than endure each moment. It is to increase your immune system not tear it down with negativity, anxiety and doubt. To laugh is to lengthen your life.
So, to my Thursday night Level B friends I say salut! Cheers to you, my brilliant improv friends, and may each of you go confidently laughing in the direction of dreams.
THE LIST
So, I had visions of writing a blog every week when I started this. I have written four and published 3 in 9months!!! Not so good really but I justify my slackness with the thought that I am the mother of a two year old, wife, homemaker etc... Of course that has nothing to do with it. I am the eternal eager starter and slack finisher. You know the type, you may be one of us, you may know one of us - you may be married to one of us (my husband feels your pain). You know us by our never ending enthusiasm for new things and the cupboards, garages and backyards filled with 'projects' we might one day muster enthusiasm for again. But let's face it, most of it will end up in a yard sale, in the bin or forevermore drive our husbands, wives, children and neighbours nuts!
So, in the light of this terrible personality trait I'm publishing a list. It's the list of blog idea's I have stuck on my wall. A list of ideas that may never see anything but the wall of my home office unless I publish 'the list'! Some of them may yet become blogs. And if anyone is reading this cathartic craziness feel free to request a blog title.
THE LIST
- Creaking Underwire Bra
- Zumba Lady Stretching
- Poco Loco Mummy Moments
- Criticism from a Homeless Man
- Moribund Interesting Word
- Squirrel Madness
- The Perfect Pav
- Undies Awareness
- To Dream or Just Sleep
Ok, so there's the list. These and many more blogs may or may not be coming at you in the near or very distant future.
A Car Park Thought
Last week there was a tragic shooting in Toronto. A young man was killed in the food court of a major shopping centre, innocent bystanders were critically injured and hundreds of people who witnessed the incident have been emotionally scarred. The disconcerted feeling in our city is palpable. Surrounded by this air of uncertainty I stood for a moment, just thinking, in a car park.
Unusual place to think, but then we always choose unusual places to have a profound moment. I know friends who do some of their best thinking in the shower, in front of the kitchen sink or even, dare I say it, whilst upon the porcelain throne. In general I'm not a car park thinker but this car park is very thought provoking. I've walked through it, past it, driven into it and even stood talking in it before and have never had this thought until today.
"You don't know how long your life will be, so you'd better make the most of it."
I had just dropped my daughter at preschool. Across the car park I saw a group of people all dressed in black entering a building. You see my daughters preschool shares a car park with a Funeral Parlour. And there it was this poignant picture of life playing out right in front of me. Through a window I could see a bunch of two year olds discovering new words, new colours and sticky things. And across the other side of the car park were people preparing to say goodbye to a loved one who's journey of discovery was finished. I don't know if they were young or old, it didn't matter. What mattered was the thought that the space between these two building's represented every opportunity, every moment to do good, unspecified time to be present discovering, growing and loving. No one knows how long their walk from preschool to funeral will be. For that reason I need to make the most of each day.
So today I choose to do good. I choose to pray for the families who are struggling with the tragedy in our city, and I choose not to live in fear. I choose not to worry and I choose to enjoy my walk, how ever long it may be. I choose faith, to be secure in the knowledge that my journey of discovery will not simply end with my death but will be only just beginning on the other side of this mortal coil.
