I have been editing a promo video for a teen theater program. It will be
full of rehearsal and performance footage, which is terrific, but it
will also include interviews with the kids, which have been truly
inspirational.
Granted, these are kids. They are not, for the most part, saddled with
the responsibilities of working to support a household and family the
way we adults are. Still, they lead busy lives and deal with the
stresses of high school and college (or getting into college), and, I'm sure, assorted family stresses of their own. Yet, when
they talk about the theater, they do so with sheer joy. They may touch
upon learning skills that will be useful to them in other tasks or in
life, but mostly, what they convey is appreciation for this moment in
their lives and for their enjoyment of it.
How often do we enjoy what we are doing? Not just appreciate what it
does for us in terms of money or skills, but appreciate the way it fills
us? While we may need the money and the skills more than your average
teenager, ultimately, we need some of that joy just as much.
I imagine that these kids will go on, whether in theater or not, to take
on responsibilities that sometimes eclipse the sheer joy that they are
expressing now. But I am hopeful that they, and we, can hold on to a
little of that joy, at least sometimes, at least for a little while.
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