One of the tenets of good improvisational theatre is for the players to be open and willing to say "YES". I am not really an improvisational player, however, I did take a stab at it recently with DearSweetDave who is in the process of becoming more of an improvisational player than he has been in the past. The experience for me was definitely eye-opening and perhaps even a little bit scary. It is well known around these parts that I am, if nothing else, a perfectionist. I like to get all A's. I like to win blue ribbons. I like to come in first and be the absolute best that I can possibly be. Improvisational theatre makes being first and best and getting all A's very difficult. Very difficult, indeed. Because it's not about YOU. It's about you supporting all the other people who are there on stage with you. It's about letting go of being YOU and being a part of the bigger whole. And it's most certainly about being open to all the possibilities that the WHOLE presents. It's about saying YES.
At least that's the biggest lesson I learned from my first stab at improvisational theatre a few weeks ago. Being open and saying YES. I've been trying to apply that more and more in my every day life. Especially in my marriage to and with DearSweetDave. One of the things that DearSweetDave wishes for our marriage is that we were more playful. I admit that my own desire to win and be first and get all A's can make things awfully serious around these parts a lot of the time. Perfection does not come without emotional sacrifice. But I do not have to be perfect all of the time, now, do I? No, certainly not. In fact, my own perfectionist sensibilities are perhaps what are standing in the way of my own ultimate happiness. Time to rethink the necessity of getting all A's. Time to learn to just say "YES!"
Late last week DearSweetDave sent me a link for a house concert Sunday night in Sunnyvale. He asked me if I wanted to go? Without even clicking the link or thinking about it, I just hit the reply button and said, "YES!" I could have just signed myself up for crickets rubbing their legs together to play chamber music, but I didn't care. I had said, "YES!" and DearSweetDave and I had a date for something fun.
The whole day turned out to be quite lovely. We spent the early part of it in San Francisco. We had lunch in the Haight with two imaginary friends of mine from the Internet and DearSweetDave even surprised me by finding and buying a CD at Virgin records that I have been wanting for a very long time. He isn't just called DearSweetDave for nothing, you know? We cruised back down 101 to Redwood City and hit their Whole Foods for dinner. Why oh why can we not have Whole Foods in Santa Cruz? Such choices! Such yummy things! We stuffed ourselves, piled back in the car and headed for Sunnyvale. DearSweetDave was just a tad worried that we would be late and not get good seats, but we arrived exactly on time. Go us! And then walked in to quite an intimate setting. This guy truly was putting on a house concert in his living room.
The concert itself was just, well, amazing. You can not beat the intimacy provided by a 10 x 10 living room. Peter Bradley Adams played two sets. And talked to us about how it was so difficult for him to play when he could actually see our faces and look at our eyes. He sang nearly all the songs on his new album, which we bought. It's really good and currently has permanent residence in the dog transport vehicle. Buddha and Stella are becoming huge fans! One thing I didn't realize when I said "yes" is that I was already sort of familiar with Peter. He was one half of the band EastMountainSouth which I had seen open for Tracy Chapman a few summers ago. I had really loved their harmonies and their songs when I saw them. So I suppose in one aspect I was a bit predisposed to love him.
Peter can definitely sing. He can also definitely write songs. And he can make you feel all warm and fuzzy while singing those songs that he writes. Especially when you're sitting not a foot from him on a cozy couch in some guy's living room in Sunnyvale. His songs take you on a journey you didn't even know you wanted to take. But you hold on, almost breathlessly, waitingwaitingwaiting while he sings those next notes carrying you ever closer to a place deep inside your own heart that you knew existed but you weren't quite sure how to reach. Really, it's quite a trip. It wasn't until after the show that I learned that he was a classically trained pianist and that he was from Alabama. I wonder where his accent went? Because he really didn't have one. At all.
Peter is touring the country over the next couple months. If he's coming anywhere near you, I highly recommend that you go out and give him a listen. It won't be a waste of your time. Just say "Yes!", keep yourself open to the possibilities and be ready for a journey you didn't know you really wanted to take.
