I suppose there’s always a little adventure or a unique moment to be had. But it seems we spend a good deal of time trying to avoid those spontaneous shake-em-ups. I know I can certainly be guilty of the pleasegoawayIjustwannagohome-type ignoring of the world that’s happening around me. But I also feel that my relationship with improvisation has made me more aware of this particular human failing–this tragic disregard.
Sure, we can’t be sensitive and open to every single thing that comes our way–especially in a big city. We’d explode. We close up to protect ourselves. But isn’t it possible to protect ourselves too much? And don’t we miss out on a lot by doing so?
After teaching yesterday, I needed to catch the #156 bus to meet a date for dinner downtown. I waited for nearly ten minutes and right when the bus pulled up, this guy came out of nowhere and started talking to me. I was standing alone for so long and didn’t see him approach until he was right up next to me. Maybe it was the last hour I’d spent playing improv games with 11-12 year olds, but I didn’t ignore him or try to get rid of him. Instead, I just responded to him. He sat across the aisle from me and continued engaging me in conversation. He pleaded with me to write what he was saying down. So, he dictated the following and I share it with you now.
Writing creates thinking.
Thinking creates feelings.
Feelings create action.
There are only two things that will change a person’ life two years from now. The books they read. The people they associate with.
Success is a non-negotiable item.
And there you have it. He then asked me to tell him how many words were involved in the first section, what the operative word was, how many different words were used, etc… It was all very odd. And then, he was gone as quickly as he came. He jumped off the bus near the stock exchange with nary a look back.
I thought about searching for these phrases on the web or even musing about the possibilities of his intent or character. But it doesn’t matter. I really don’t care about the why. I just like the what. It is what it wanted to be. Nothing more. I kinda dig that.