Have you ever experienced plain ol' joy? Just feeling so happy that you just throw your head back and laugh? There are many occasions in life that can cause joy; the ones dealing with love and family are the most common. Falling in love, expecting a baby, being proud of your child, spouse, parent.......the joy that comes within relationships is beautiful, and buoys us through life's hard times. Sometimes, though, I find an unexpected joy in art. Seeing something amazing or beautiful first takes my breath away, then makes me laugh. I think that's one of the reasons I teach music.
I experienced - heard and watched plain ol' joy last night. Tommy James (of Tommy James and the Shondells) left the stage during "Mony, Mony" just to shake hands, give hugs, pose for selfies, greet a lady in a wheelchair - for about fifteen minutes while the band just vamped. It was so joyful because he was so unassuming. First he jammed that awesome song, then just walked out like he wanted to hug everyone in the place. Who does that these days? We didn't run up for hugs, but just laughed and watched it all happen. Happiness. For those minutes, you can forget bills, aches and pains, worries, all the heartbreak that's happening in this world - and feel some joy.
I felt amazement and joy when the stage version of The Lion King began. Giraffes, monkeys, hyenas, hippos - all right before my eyes. Amazing. I felt a numbness that approached awe when I stood before El Greco's "A View Of Toledo". Having loved the painting through pictures in books for so many years, the real item struck me speechless.
I don't condone running away from our troubles. I especially don't condone not finding a niche where you can try to ease a small part of the world's heartache. ("Brighten the Corner Where You Are" - but that's another story.) I highly condone, however, finding the joy in music, art, writing, drama - whichever form of creativity awes you - and letting that fuel you for turning back to bills, sickness and the difficult sadness in the world with renewed ambition to help. Let the arts feed you.
