This weekend, buckets of water have been falling from the sky. The song lyric "Raindrops keep falling on my head," goes through my mind as I listen to the somewhat soothing sounds of rain falling at 2:50 am. The pitter patter is rhythmic, almost like music.
We did a reading and musical event yesterday at Highpoint Brewing Company in San Dimas. We had five readers, three songs and a great turnout for a rainy day in California. After events like this, it's hard for me to come back down to earth.
Yesterday, the morning before the event, I had a mini panic attack after practicing the new Wizard of Oz inspired piece I was reading. I usually don't rehearse much as it ruins the flow for me, but decided to mostly because the piece is new and unpublished and I've never performed it.
After I practiced it to a room of myself and my shih tzu, my whole body was tingling and I felt like I would pass out. To calm myself, I took deep breaths, drank a big glass of water and stretched until the panic went away.
It was a strange experience that had never happened to me before. But perhaps not so strange. The piece is a long poem full of angst and sadness with only a touch of humor. It's a very difficult piece to perform because it must be read fast to capture the chaos, and requires almost a manic energy to do it well.
It takes a toll I suppose, the artistic side of it I mean. But the payoff is huge. There is nothing more beautiful to me than watching a reading and being a part of it. The community it creates. The family. The love. The hope. It's lovely. So lovely I could cry.
I feel so grateful I get to read and perform with my writing family. You see, creativity is my sustenance. It's like the rain falling. It's not always easy to deal with, but we need it to nourish the planet and ourselves.
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