The Right Shoes'' (Personal Development)

By: Julie Jordan Scott - [self]
I have yet another strange confession. Are you ready to hear it?

If I were utterly truthful, I would admit to coveting character shoes.

I have seen musical theater actresses glide, dance, move across stages in many places, times and contexts and they all shared that one, common element.

Character shoes.

Not owning a pair was yet another check in my column marked "Not an actress."

This weekend all that changed.

I experienced two less than stellar rehearsals this weekend. Each was punctuated by my inner refrain: "At least I have the right shoes" and "Well, finally I join the Tribe of Musical Theater Character acting shoes" and "Hey, I might have forgotten that line. at least I have the right shoes."

Life can be that simple.

It is as simple as feeling joy from a pair of shoes and knowing that in wearing those shoes I was issuing an invitation marked "Temporary Discomfort Welcomed" to the Universe.

It is as simple as hearing the sound of laughter and choosing to join in without needing to have a reason behind the laughing.

It is as simple as stretching today beyond what and who you were yesterday.

Charles Dickens said "Minds, like bodies, will often fall into a pimpled, ill conditioned state from mere excess of comfort."

My character shoes are a symbol of my stretching from my former state of mind comfort of "not an actress" and into my current state of niggling "ohmigawsh, we open in less than two weeks!" discomfort.

In order to own character shoes, I had to be willing to step into that context of being uncomfortable. That state of taking responsibility as a cast member, a community member, a thread in this special tapestry - this work of art also known as this incarnation of "Into the Woods."

What is your symbol, your token, your totem of stretching from your current state of comfort?

Saturday's rehearsal required a lot of movement.

In my character shoes I was racing around the stage slipping, sliding, trying to keep up with the blocking, the singing, the acting, all of it. Tt was indeed a stretch.

I laughed as I tried to keep up. My director said, "It's different in those shoes, isn't it?"

"YES!"

The object of my coveting - the character shoes -- propelled me into temporary discomfort.

It's all a glorious component of the stretch.

It is in the trust that I will move beyond the discomfort. It is in the willingness to continue growing. It is in the joy which comes with accomplishment which is silly, sublime and everywhere in between.

Gratefully, I have the right pair of shoes.

What do you have?

Julie Jordan Scott is the Creator of the Passion Crafting Method. Bring Art into Your Business and Business into Your Art http://www.5passions.com to receive our ezine or look into Coaching and Training for All Budgets. Call 661.325.4116 or email julie@5... now

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