Sunflowers

I had a dream a few months ago. I won't share the details here, but when I woke up with the impression that I needed to change my outlook on life. Seek out the positive, let the negative pass me by, all that good stuff. I refer to each of these found silver linings as sunflowers. After all, I've always been one for floral metaphors (read my blog post about daisy girls here). The drive to Magna is studded with sunflowers growing on the side of the road; they remind me to be happy *today*. The existence of these sunflowers brightening my commute is, in itself, one of my sunflowers. This is a post about the subtle joys that have been flooding through my life this first week of September.

Sunflower: The Drowsy Chaperone opens this week. I'm so excited! This show has been free therapy for me. Once again I owe my thanks to an incredible group of theatre people who accept me as I am and don't tell me to shut up when I chatter backstage in my ludicrous attempt at a 1920s New York accent. During Camelot I was British Liza, this show has spawned Olga Molscovitz. Both of these alter-egos are tough as nails and will mess you up, but that's a story for another day. We play Monday, Friday, and Saturday nights out at the Empress Theatre in Magna. You know you want to come see me make food-based puns and dance my little heart out. ;) I have had a blast rehearsing this show and I can't wait to share it with others. Be there or be square.

Sunflower: I watched Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back the other night. What a party! I was ambushed by Han/Leia feels and the reminder that BOY HOWDY I LOVE STAR WARS. I saw a tumblr post the other day-- "I have obsessions that just hang out in the background most of the time but then I am hit in the face with how much I love them." That's me and Star Wars. Darth Vader's theme-- it doesn't get much better than that. Delightful company was had and I did my best imitation of Rifftrax. Whoever I end up with had better be cool with snarky movie commentary literally all the time. I am who I am.

Another sunflower-- both books and public libraries exist. I just finished Middlemarch. It was wonderful! So many priceless quotes to add to my quotations file (eighty pages and counting!). I aspire to be some mix of Dorothea Brook and Mary Garth. Caleb is too good for this world. Every time Fred Vincy walked on the page I was like, "My child." He was once described as having sunk into the swamp of awkwardness, and I KNOW THAT FEEL. I read George Eliot's biography right before this, and found her to be quite the inspiration. She didn't find love until her forties;  isn't it great we don't peak at nineteen? After his death she wrote, "I am resolved to live as bravely as I can." I love that; it's so positive and focused on the future. Possibly resolution for the next New Year?

I also read Carry On, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse. I've been meaning to get to Wodehouse for ages, and it is hilarious as promised. It took me a few stories to pick up Wodehouse's groove, but when it clicked I loved it. It reminds me of other short story collections I've read from that time period, particularly those of Alfred Terhune or John Fitzgerald. The hero in this instance is a butler instead of a dog or a conniving older brother, but the result is the same: victory, every time, undisputed. Must be nice to live in such a predictable world! My favorite story was "Bertie Changes His Mind." I am all about switching up the point of view!

I get to play the organ in church this month. Contributing to the meeting in this way always makes me feel closer to the proceedings and gives me a richer spiritual experience; I am grateful for the chance to serve. Playing prelude music makes me think of D&C 25:12"The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me." Another sunflower found!

I'm grateful for the sunflowers disguised as friends who watch Gilmore Girls with me or text me kind things out of the blue or just give me hugs. I am grateful that I got to see a fantastic production of Guys & Dolls with some wonderful lady friends of mine who give me the confidence to step outside my comfort zone. (I'm always terrified to invite anyone to go anywhere because what if they secretly hate me?) My grandma is basically a walking sunflower; the same could be said of my angel mother.

So that's my post for this week. I've had this happy feeling in my heart all week long. The writing challenge has fallen by the wayside (I really should've known better than to start right before hell week), but although this isn't a  formal Writing post, it needed to be written. I'll end with this quote: "It becomes clear that your life is not merely a string of events; it is a cavalcade of people." -Consequential Strangers by Melinda Blau and Karen Fingerman

Thank you for being one of my sunflowers.