I have found myself surrounded by improv these past few weeks--a friend I
know who performs with an improv troupe, a show for which I interviewed, theater tickets I won,
my kids doing a post-dinner standup act. Improv is everywhere. Which
made me think about how much of our day-to-day life is just an improv
exercise.
While there are many people with 5-year plans and daily (down to the
minute) planners, I have never counted myself as one of those people. I
follow paths as I come upon them, and my daily plan is subject to change at
any moment--there's just too much out there to walk by it all. Often, as I'm following a path, I find that I am teaching
myself what I need to know as I go. It's the adaptability that's
practically my trademark. Really, though, it's not just adaptability,
it's improv, just not on a stage, and not necessarily for laughs.
I can hardly picture myself on stage as part of an improv troupe, but I
can say that my ability to roll with the punches has landed me in the
middle of some very funny stories over the years. Improv, in life, as on
stage, is about listening, and reacting, and keeping our minds open.
It's often when we let go of our set plans, when we open ourselves to a
little improv, that we really observe what's going on around us. And
when we really observe, it's amazing how clever and resourceful (like
those improv troupes) we can be.
I can say from experience, it doesn't take stage presence to improv
through life. It just takes an open mind and a good ear. And in
exchange, you end up with a little smart, and a
whole lot of funny. Sounds like an improve--I mean, improv-ment--to me.
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