Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Gather 'Round The Campfire....
...and let's tell stories.
Stories of rain and the steamy City.....stories of irate cab drivers who don't speak English and must still find their way to Thompson Street in the heat of s summer day...stories of haridressers' assistants who fled persecution in Bosnia and now can go dancing in American clubs at night....
stories of inept bookeepers whose slightest ink smudge brings misery to others....stories of mighty bosses who bilked their stockholders of millions of dollars and who died instantly of heart attacks nonetheless...
stories of sad and stupid people who need power, and so they constantly and consistently belittle all who work with them...stories of glamorous, ungifted girls, who will insist that they can quit smoking any time they decide to...
stories of yearning boys who develope into brilliant and important artists...stories of war and killing...stories of a world that refuses to devalue life in any form..stories of paradise and stories of hell...stories of us all.
Every time I hear from a student who is gracious enough to express their gratitude and appreciation for what we have shared in a classroom, I am revived. I am grateful to them and want them to know it. I want to also rush to their sides and tell them: life matters more than show business...nurturing your friends is as important as nurturing your careers...absolutely do not forget to stop and smell every flower possible...and then, just to make sure you slow down enough to make a difference: meditate and write about it! Pleeeeeze: the world matters more than getting a job in a Broadway show...(though there was the time when my world was nothing but about getting that very job)...Please know this: gathering 'round the warm campfire is an impulse satisfied in a myriad of ways, so find as many ways as you can to do it, knowing that your gifts are far richer than you ever could now imagine them to be. Look for ways to tell the stories that will change lives.Forever. Not just for now.
Stories of rain and the steamy City.....stories of irate cab drivers who don't speak English and must still find their way to Thompson Street in the heat of s summer day...stories of haridressers' assistants who fled persecution in Bosnia and now can go dancing in American clubs at night....
stories of inept bookeepers whose slightest ink smudge brings misery to others....stories of mighty bosses who bilked their stockholders of millions of dollars and who died instantly of heart attacks nonetheless...
stories of sad and stupid people who need power, and so they constantly and consistently belittle all who work with them...stories of glamorous, ungifted girls, who will insist that they can quit smoking any time they decide to...
stories of yearning boys who develope into brilliant and important artists...stories of war and killing...stories of a world that refuses to devalue life in any form..stories of paradise and stories of hell...stories of us all.
Every time I hear from a student who is gracious enough to express their gratitude and appreciation for what we have shared in a classroom, I am revived. I am grateful to them and want them to know it. I want to also rush to their sides and tell them: life matters more than show business...nurturing your friends is as important as nurturing your careers...absolutely do not forget to stop and smell every flower possible...and then, just to make sure you slow down enough to make a difference: meditate and write about it! Pleeeeeze: the world matters more than getting a job in a Broadway show...(though there was the time when my world was nothing but about getting that very job)...Please know this: gathering 'round the warm campfire is an impulse satisfied in a myriad of ways, so find as many ways as you can to do it, knowing that your gifts are far richer than you ever could now imagine them to be. Look for ways to tell the stories that will change lives.Forever. Not just for now.
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