The thin line between sorrow and joy

August 13, 2014
             Day 105

I had another reflection planned for today, but too much is going on right now for me to be as light as I was hoping to be.

Last night, I was filled with joy standing on line to see Newsies on Broadway, when a few feet away from me, I spotted someone who had just lost a very dear friend to suicide.  The someone was Harvey Fierstein, and the friend, of course, was Robin Williams.  Harvey looked very sad and out of it, not the joy-filled version of himself I've come to know on video, and when I've seen him around New York before, and my heart immediately ached for his own aching heart.  All the joy I'd been feeling seemed to evaporate immediately.

By the time we got into the theatre, the excitement of the evening returned, and we had an absolutely wonderful time at the show.  My friend Michael was with me, and we had some fun stage-door adventures after the show too, including my opportunity to introduce Michael to one of the cast of Newsies, Giuseppe Bausilio.  Overall, it was a really nice evening in New York, and as I closed my eyes last night in bed, I felt very happy.

This morning, things changed again.  First, we realized the weather had wreaked havoc all over the island, causing Andy's train to get canceled and requiring me to bring him to another station.  The roads all over Suffolk County are apparently under water, and people have lost their cars in what will certainly be permanent flooding damage.  And then the really bad news came in: Andy's uncle (his mom's brother) is in the hospital in what may be his final hours.  He apparently got terribly sick this past weekend, and was admitted in serious condition.  Emergency surgery revealed some horrible, probably fatal truths about his condition.

How do we do this?  How do we all pivot so often on the joys and sorrows of life, and still manage to stay sane?  Obviously, so many of us do not.  We get depressed or angry, or both, and life's many truths often feel like an insufferable, never-ending tragedy.

I'm not writing this reflection in order to explain how to deal with awful things, or even to convince you to choose joy.  I'm simply recognizing the precarious, delicate line we all walk on every day.  We are faced with joy and sadness constantly, and we never know if they'll hit us at the same time, or in rapid, alternating succession.  We just have to go with the flow, and remember to appreciate every joyful moment while we have it, because all too often, the sad moments are waiting for us right around the corner.  The thin line between joy and sorrow requires us to walk with one foot in either emotion at all times, out of profound respect...for both.

These past 5 days of beautiful living

June 25, 2014
          Day 56/365

I want to tell you briefly about these past 5 days.  Each of them was marked by enough "special" to warrant their own reflection, but I'd like to just paint the scenes for you as a single collage of life's beauty.

These five days included a Broadway show, a ballet at Lincoln Center, a trip to Connecticut, four meals out in restaurants, two Shamanic journeys, six games of tennis, two movies, new friendships, and lots of wonderful food, drink, and conversation.

FRIDAY: The day began with work, as all weekdays do, but by the evening, I was sipping wine with a friend from Australia in our very own private living room in midtown Manhattan (a hotel bar with nice digs!).  After wine, we sauntered (the stumbling would come later) to Aladdin on Broadway, which was followed right afterward by stage-dooring across the street.  It was Giuseppe Bausilio's 17th birthday, so we joined him after his show (he's one of the amazing Newsies) for some delicious Brazilian food and drink.  And my God, that drink!  I ended up catching a 1:37 AM train back to Long Island, and was grateful to be asleep by 3.

SATURDAY: On Saturday, Andy and I were off to visit our friend Darren in Connecticut.  We got there around 3:30, had some cheese and strawberries he prepared, caught up on each other's lives, then went out for an early dinner sometime after 5.  It was the first day of summer, so our blessing that evening was a delicious feast with equally delicious drinks at an outdoor table.  We followed that up by watching some really great movies back at his house.

SUNDAY: Sunday morning's weather was equally brilliant, so we went out for breakfast at the local diner, then worked off some of our meal with a few games of tennis at Darren's local tennis courts.  The getaway to Connecticut was wonderful, and it was great to catch up with Darren again, as we hadn't seen him in almost a year.  Got home mid-afternoon and took a nice long nap.  Ahh!

MONDAY: The work week returned Monday, but that night's activities included a decadently scrumptious lasagna at Cafe Fiorello, followed by the opening night performance of ABT's Swan Lake at Lincoln Center.  Gillian Murphy and Marcelo Gomes danced as Odette and the prince, with Roman Zhurbin wowing in the role of Rothbart.  Gillian was unfortunately still nursing an injury, and was unable to perform in the second half, but her understudy, Hee Seo, was wonderful.  Before then, I'd only seen the Matthew Bourne Swan Lake, so my friend Suzanne insisted I come and see this one with her.  She was right as always, and I had a wonderful time!

TUESDAY: And then last night, as has been my monthly tradition since last year, I attended a Shamanic Drumming Circle.  Shaman John Gilroy offers an Introduction to Shamanism course once a month, and a Shamanic Drumming Circle once monthly too.  Both are at New Light Sanctuary in Bay Shore on Long Island.  Shamanic journeys are unlike anything else I've ever experienced before, and they're kind of hard to explain in just a few words, so if you're interested in learning more, this description is very good.  My journeys last night were fruitful beyond description, but I'll need a lot more time to think about them before I share them publicly!  Time will tell how much I listen to what I learned there last night.

And that's it!  Those were my last 5 days of beautiful living.  I hope you enjoyed the experiences I shared here, and may your own journeys through life always be worth telling others about too!

Seize The Day With Newsies!!!

Giuseppe Bausilio (Newsies, Billy Elliot, Spring's Awakening)
signing autographs after his first show in Newsies, Fall 2013.

June 4, 2014
Day 35/365

Last night, I had the great pleasure of seeing Newsies on Broadway.  It wasn't my first time seeing the show (I think it was my fourth time now), but it was a very special night for two BIG reasons.

1) I got to see Giuseppe Bausilio in the role of Racer, a part he played this past fall as well, but last night he began a full contract with the show.  He's a fantastic performer, an utterly jaw-dropping dancer, and a seriously hysterical guy with a very funny part!  Giuseppe is what you'd call a triple threat and then some!  He's got all you could ask for in a performer for any type of show--and I've now seen him in three very, very different parts on and off-Broadway.  But he's also got a stage presence you simply cannot teach.  It's a gift of panache, wit, and timing, a confidence from within, and a killer smile all in one.

If you know anything about Newsies, you know this is a major ensemble show, meaning so many actors have so many big parts, all of them coming together to create a major wow effect each and every performance.  But Giuseppe has a cool role in that he's meant to stand out, meant to own the stage at times in a combination of comic relief and spotlight ownership.  His cast mates are, all of them, each one better than the next, which is to say they are all absolutely fantastic, multi-talented individuals, and all of them stars.  So though I've gone back to the show a few times now to see Giuseppe shine, I'm always floored by the abundance of talent in the rest of the cast too.

2) The second reason last night was so special is because for the first time, my partner Andy went along with me!  It's hard convincing Andy to attend any Broadway shows, because he's always (rightfully) worried about the money I spend.  I owed him a birthday present though, and we're presently in that once-a-year temporary cushion called tax refund season, so he happily agreed. 

Andy's got great taste in a great many things, so as I knew he would, he loved the show!  He also got to meet Giuseppe after the show, which only added to the fun.  Andy's heard me talk about the Bausilio family a lot, so I was delighted to finally introduce Giuseppe and his mom to Andy, and spend some quality time with them.  Whenever my worlds can come together like this, it's extra fun and extra exciting for me. 

Newsies is a story about a bunch of underdogs challenging the system, and just looking to make an honest wage for an honest day's work.  It's a job I held for a few years too, back when I delivered Newsday on Long Island...back when they actually had newspaper boys and not adults in vans delivering "the papes"!  If you get a chance, seize the day and go, especially now that Giuseppe is back in as Racer.  It's an exciting, powerful, heart-pounding show filled with laughter, inspiration, and absolutely amazing dancing.  A fantastic show any way you sell the news, but Giuseppe is just awesome, so don't miss your chance to see him...get your tickets today!

http://www.ticketmaster.com/artist/1675766