Wednesday, January 25, 2012

A letter to many people:

Dear__________,
In my life I have had the pleasure to meet many people who can only be described as simply magical. Within their person is a certain spark or twinkle of something out of the ordinary. Something so unimaginably beautiful that words cannot do justice to that certain ‘thing’ that these individuals have about them. Something heartbreakingly fragile and yet, frighteningly strong. Sort of energy that is so pure, so vital, that it seems to burst forth from their very being and illuminate the darkness. I have been very fortunate to witness the glory and poetry of your existence, and I want to thank you. Thank you for being beautiful, raw, gritty and extraordinarily exceptional in so many respects.

Thank you to my loving family. My anchor in the storm, my sanctuary. My guides, teachers, friends and heroes.
My parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all showed me how to lead life with grace, intelect, poise,  morality and a good dose of humor.
Thank you for reading to me, teaching me to read and surrounding me with books and giving me access to the library. The constant exposure to lofty ideas, concepts, literature and ideas taught me to think and learn at all times. Most of all, thank you for letting me be myself, and loving me, sometimes, in spite of me. My devotion to you all is the soundest loyalty that I hold within me, and I can only hope that I can make you proud to be related to me.

    Some of my most influential friends and teachers (these roles over-lapped many times in this period of my life.) (Many that I haven’t spoken to since I was about fourteen years old) are a constant source of inspiration and strength. The struggles that I watched many of y ou all go through at such tender ages shaped my perspective on the world and of myself in a drastic way. Without the guidance and acceptance that I received at this age and the support and approval of my generally unusual thoughts, ideas and ambitions (which up until this point had been thought of as “weird” by my peers and therefore hidden away) allowed me to free myself from many constraints I had placed on myself till then.
Seeing these individuals that I looked up to, almost idolized, were not afraid to get dirty, visceral and shockingly raw really allowed me to break free of my inhibitions and just “fucking do it” and do it bravely. First and foremost, these people taught me to survive.

And of course, my second family. My siblings than God gave to another mother to spare my parents the nightmare of raising numerous alien-like, balls of charismatic chaos. The Theatre Kids. Ms.K. These people are the most loving, creative, clever, well-spoken, eloquent   people I have met to date. Their tenacity and depth have yet to be met by any group of individuals  that I have ever come in contact with. The deep love that I have for each and every one of you is an affection that I am sure that you hold for me. For four years, I was able to find refuge on the stage with some of, what I am sure are, the best people on earth. It wasn’t so much the shows  we  put on (though they were great, as you are all so damn talented) but the bonds that grew between us and the ability to get our shit together and make things happen on a dime was, and still is magical. There is no other place on the planet that I feel as empowered and lifted up than I have when I had the honor of growing up and performing with all of you. The pure magnetism and power that was only half awake with in all of you is astounding. The potential that each and every one of you contains moves me beyond words and I am over come with pride and love for you. All of you are in my mind, my heart and my soul. I do everything I accomplish because you all told me I could.
When I was a runt  of freshman, the upperclassmen took me under their wings (fittingly as they are angels, in my opinion) and made me feel gifted, beautiful and worthwhile. They believed in me and even when I failed, they forgave me- and they taught me to forgive myself and to be free. I can’t repay you all for what you gave me. It’s priceless, immeasurable and undefinable, but know, that any success I have is, in part, because of theatre. Because of Mrs.Ruth Knightstep. God bless her.
There are others who met by chance, or maybe destiny; from all corners  of the globe, I was blessed enough to somehow find these people and have them become apart of my life, even if it was only for a moment. The time I spent with some of these individuals may have been short, but with in that, day, week, month or year I saw enough to realize that you are just not normal. You are stunningly brilliant, sharp-witted, and exquisitely complex beyond belief. And so, so, so ‘easy on the eyes’ if you get my drift. If I could have more time with you, I would gladly take opportunity- but for now, it seems that our paths must cross another day. My respect for all of you is well founded and I am most grateful to have gained your acquaintance.  I want to thank you for the goodness that you shared with me in the times we spent together, how ever long and to what ever level.

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