Embracing Change

Last night, as part of a concert series we have gone to for years, I saw Van Hughes, along with a number of other talented singer/actors, perform songs from assorted Amanda Green musicals.
 
Who is Amanda Green, you ask? I'll admit, I didn't know either before last night. Writer/composer/lyricist responsible for Broadway shows like Bring It On, Hands on a Hardbody, and High Fidelity. Impressive, to say the least, but this blog is not really about Amanda Green.
 
When Van Hughes was introduced, the name rang a bell, but it wasn't until he came out and I cross-referenced with the program that I realized that he was, in fact, the same person I knew from One Life to Live--a late replacement for a popular character toward the end of the show's run on ABC. And while I barely knew him when he was at ABC, it was one of those experiences that has happened quite often over the years--my saying to my husband, "hey, I know that guy," or having us go to a show because I know someone in it. It has been a situation that I suppose I've taken for granted all these years. Except now, since I am not actively working in dramatic television, it is this odd connection to the past, a remnant of sorts. While I'm sure that I will continue to see people I have known in Broadway and Off-Broadway shows--after all, I worked with them in New York, and actors in New York work in the theater--I suspect that the connection will become less a connection, and more just a blip at the start of my theater experience. For better or worse, things change. And as they change, we can mourn the change, or we can embrace it. I may not go to the theater to see co-workers much anymore, but it doesn't mean I won't go to the theater.
 
Today, on the anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, a former co-worker of mine wrote about how the event completely changed her life, and how she has moved on, in what she considers a really positive way. While there is loss, there is tremendous gain in moving forward. And though whatever I have lost work-wise can't come close to comparing, perhaps the lesson is similar--if we embrace change, we open ourselves to the new, and all the really good things--shows and otherwise--that we might not otherwise have seen.
 
A year ago, I couldn't publish because the power went out. Today, the power is very much on, and several hundred posts later, I am still embracing the changes.