“And the day came
when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the
risk it took to blossom.”
This week, I
have been so inspired by that quote (enough to post it on Facebook, share it
with my students, and now to write about it here).
I think what hits me specifically in this one is the idea of
what’s at stake. It’s more painful to NOT take a risk. To never know. To live a
life without diving in. To just settle. More painful because if you don’t take
risks, you’re not reaching the potential of who you could be, or what could
become. It’s that idea of reaching for the stars. Setting goals. Having dreams.
In addition to not living to one’s potential being painful, I really think it
is our duty as human beings. In order to keep the world flowing. Moving. Growing.
Emerging. I mean, what if no one ever dreamed of going to the moon? Or maybe
they dreamed it, but never said anything? Can you imagine? Put it like that, it
seems that there is almost a responsibility to put one’s self out there. What
if a group of people in Chicago never got together and said, “let’s create a
company”? We’d have no Steppenwolf. What if Rosa Parks had gone to the back of the bus?
Time and time again, I’m telling myself and my students to
try to stay curious. To take risks. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it
keeps the world going for sure! (And the cat has nine lives, right? :) If people weren’t curious, they wouldn’t
strive to reach past their comfort zone. Creativity (in art, science,
expression) requires curiosity. It requires risk taking. Staying curious, with
an open heart & mind to experience the world around us and try to be the
best human one can possibly be, is worth striving for. The alternative is just
too painful. It’s risky to fall in
love; to go to school and study what you love; to do what you love; to take a
journey across the country; to say “I can do that” and really work on it; to
tell a friend the hard truth; to admit when one is wrong; to write one’s
thoughts down for the public to see; to trust; to fall down and get back up
again; to go against the grain; to question; to Occupy Wall Street; to run for
office; to have a baby; to write a poem; to paint the Sistine Chapel; to write
a play; to compose a song; to admit that you DON’T want to do what you thought
you wanted to do and change direction; to stick with something.
And, let’s not forget the risk of starting a theatre
company—and a not-for-profit theatre company at that? Thank goodness we have
amazing minds before us who can inspire us. Those that started from just an
idea and have, through the years, made a tremendous mark on the world: the
Alley, Steppenwolf, the Public, and many, many more. What a gift. And now, with
Theatre East, who knows? It’s risky to even put the names in the same thought.
But why not? We gotta dream! We gotta keep going because—the alternative is too
painful. I’m so thankful to be surrounded by people who push me to be the very
best I can be, and who have great dreams and goals—the people in the Theatre
East community (the staff, the company, the audiences, the future audiences). Together
we can do it. Together we continue to take risks, to push each other and you—so
that we can all grow a little bit more. Aim to be better humans. Do our part to
help make the world a better place.
The NYC marathon was this weekend—what an amazing physical
act of curiosity, strength, desire, goal setting, reaching for the stars,
endurance, and determination. What a great example. I am completely inspired by
these people. Thank you to those that are running for taking risk and diving
in. I imagine you will never be the same. In fact, I imagine you are finding
out more deeply who you really are.
So let’s take ‘em. Risks. Why? The alternative is too
painful.
One final note, I must thank YOU for taking a risk and
supporting theatre in general. And, of course, thank you for supporting Theatre
East, specifically. Together—we will blossom.
