Okay? What's Next?
One of my favorite moments when I'm performing as a clown is the…. pause—a moment of stillness before a big reveal.
There is a moment when the tension builds. The clown has been busy working. Will the clown succeed or fail? You wonder what's coming next. Something is about to happen, but you have to wait and go through a transition before the tension resolves.
Maybe you know what's coming. The pattern is set, and the destination is clear. Or perhaps you only think you know what is coming next. But whatever it is, you can't have it… yet! There is a pause before you get the results. You wait to see if what you get is what you expected. Maybe you have to wait to see if what you get is a surprise. Whatever it is, you have to endure the pause before you can have it.
An important thing when performing a pause like this is that you must make this pause and transition worthwhile. There should be something on the other side that's the payoff. That gives the audience something special.
We are all living in a different world since the COVID19 pandemic. We are in this transition, wondering what will come next. Waiting and hoping for the best.
This transition feeling is familiar to me. One of the hard lessons I've learned is that sometimes you have to sit in these difficult situations for a long time. My instinct tells me to leave these uncomfortable situations quickly. It's a basic reflex to want to move on, finish, and go to the next thing. However, examining things while in the pause can point us to the best way forward.
So, in this pandemic transition, I find myself questioning my work, my focus, my intentions, my desires, my judgment.
I don't know what is on the other side of the COVID transition, but these are the lessons I'm learning its essential to be in this moment, right now. To be present. Try not to live in the future I want or the past I had. But be in the here and now. The big reveal moment will be in the future. I can't know what it will bring.
Right now, I can choose to appreciate what I have, honor those around me and laugh, smile, and play as much as possible.
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