Wednesday, May 8, 2013

The younger me would just never stop slapping me.

I'm reminded of something that the current Chairman of the Department of Fine Arts at Culver-Stockton College said, back when he and I were basically both back in Graduate School....

We were working the Summer Music Theatre at the WIU, and the days usually started around 8 AM and ended sometime just before 8 AM.  Three shows, one after another, in two months.  Doing the tech in the morning, rehearsing in the afternoon, and performing in the evening.

Long days.

So, a bunch of us are sitting in the lobby of the building, drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes (you could still do that in buildings back then) and looking generally hang-dog.  We worked hard, and played hard.

The current Chairman rolls up, looking like a half eaten pot pie, and in one phrase, sums up the entire experience...

To wit: "Mom told me there would be days like this.....but I thought the b**ch was lying."

And then when we all composed ourselves, we dumped the coffee and flattened the cigs and went to work.

Hard work must've killed somebody....but not that summer.

The itch has begun in earnest; that thing that comes every spring around this time....when in my youth I would be preparing for the summer season.  Things and feelings I took for granted.  People.

The world was full of really great sunrises. 

There's nothing with which to scratch that itch, in this place and time.  There are THINGS to do, mind you, but there comes a time when the desire to do SOMETHING becomes less important than the desire to ENJOY the experience.  And I'm tired of playing down to a level.  Tired of being the pace horse.

So.....as of right now, if I'm going to do anything, I'm going to have to do it myself.

And I am having a series of days, my friends, where the echo of the words of the current Chairman of the Department of Fine Arts at Culver-Stockton College rings in my head.

Mom told me there would be days like this......

She did NOT say that there would be an entire series of them.

I'm waiting for the revival that comes with the sleep of the just, and the calm of the righteous.

I fear I will be waiting for quite.  Some.  Time.

2 comments:

Steve said...

Crazy summer, that was. Thought I was going to die, and nearly did - gave myself a legit concussion hanging curtains from the air conditioning unit one night. Went home, went to bed, woke up drowning in my own blood. Got the bleeding stopped, went back to bed, and back to work at 7am. Never did go to the hospital. We techies got no time off until the last week, not even Sunday mornings. Insanity. Feeling the same itch as you, bro, not sure I have anything left in my tank to do anything with it - maybe writing something. Life should be significantly simpler this time next year. We'll see. Can't wait to see what happens for both of us.

Kizz said...

Have I sent you my 2 plays? Should I?