What is it about the shower that induces creativity and the ability to connect disparate dots of information that are percolating in our cerebral cortex? I don’t know the answers to those questions, but I’m glad a shower does more than just wash away the dirt and grime of the day.
In the shower on Monday morning, I was kicking around the following challenges:
1.) What could I say to an old friend that would be helpful?
2.) What could I speak about at TEDxCharlottesville?
3.) How can I resolve the latest plot twist that showed up on the page of my play?
4.) Why are all these questions rising up at once?
On Monday morning, I had an unexpected message from an old friend whom I haven’t seen in many years but whom I had some great times with in college. Though we haven’t seen each other in a long time, he’s one of those people whom I always hope is well and happy. He’s contemplating a big change in his life and after following my shenanigans and adventures on Facebook, he wanted to know how I took the first steps out of corporate life and into a life of authentic and passionate work.
His email was so beautiful and heartfelt that I responded to him right away, and in the process I realized I was outlining the book I’ve been trying to write for years through my blog. In each line of my response, one more piece fell into place. More odd life event after another fit together. I think I literally heard the sound “thoomp” as it all converged. And the best part is that I think this collection of pieces will be abundantly helpful to so many people coping with or hoping to instigate personal and professional change.
Simultaneously, I have also been wrestling with an application for TEDxCharlottesville. My friend, Alex, told me that a local TED event was going to be held this Fall in the beautiful city where we spent our graduate school years. Our Ethics Professor, Ed Freeman, is slated to speak. I’ve done a handful of speaking engagement over the last few years at places like SXSW, and I’m interested in doing more of them. I’m particularly interested in speaking to people who want to make the same leap I did into careers that make a difference in the world. With the theme of “The Difference that Makes a Difference”, I’ve been thinking about the exact topic that I’d like to submit for their consideration.
I put this conundrum aside and kept working on my first full-length play. I’ve been doing a lot of reading on dramatic structure, character development, and plot development. My friend, Trevin, has been coaching me through this process and his advice has been invaluable. The wheels of a story over a decade in the making have started to move with a lot less effort than in the past.
And then the shower worked its magic. It washed the shampoo out of my hair, cleared my thoughts, and I saw that all of these questions were actually the same question. It’s all about change. My friend is contemplating how to make a leap into the work he loves. The difference that makes a difference is understanding the mechanics of change and using those mechanics to build the world we want to live in. Over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle gave us the elements of dramatic structure. In short, that dramatic structure is a roadmap for navigating change, both personal and societal.
Theatre is life, life is theatre.
