Reflections

As I gaze out at the swiftly flowing water broken up only by the smooth gray boulders which stand in its way, I calculate the best route for crossing. Some rocks, covered in moss and slick algae, would easily twist an ankle or cause an unlucky hiker to tumble into the cold stream. Crouching, I gingerly step out, taking it one stone at a time, trying to avoid the damp ones. I can feel the gentle spray of the rushing water on my cheeks. I cautiously step onto a rock that appears to be sound. I feel it start to shift beneath my weight and quickly retreat. I take a few deep breaths and press on, going slowly and carefully. When I reach the halfway point, I pause for a moment to listen to the wind rushing through the trees, the percussive sound of the waterfall, and the birds calling in the distance. Looking upstream, I glimpse little silver fish swimming happily along in the fast current. The vivid green of the leaves and bright rays of sunshine reflect in the water and create a sparkling mosaic. A flash of bright red catches my attention. A woodpecker has landed on a nearby tree. He begins to scale the trunk, occasionally stopping to hammer away at loose pieces of bark. The sound of the bird's knocking echoes throughout the woods. I slowly sink down until I am sitting cross-legged on the rock. I ponder. Some people prefer to sit on the bank, too frightened to cross the stream. Others leap quickly from boulder to boulder, focusing only on their destination and not caring where their feet land. Then there are the ones who take the time to enjoy the hike, the ones who take the time to admire each and every stone, each and every crevice, each and every leaf. I stand slowly, taking in the world around me. The woodpecker, startled by my movement, flits to another tree. As he begins his process all over again, I smile and continue on my journey.

Written by Karen Thead

The Life of a Theatre Major

I just realized that I haven't written a blog post in almost a year. I should probably be ashamed of myself but I'm not. ;) I have been incredibly busy over the past months. After I bought myself an inexpensive car, I applied and was accepted at a small public university about 25 minutes away from where I live. Over all, I have been very pleased with my classes and the whole campus atmosphere. The college is very close-knit and a day never goes by when I don't run into someone I know while walking back and forth to classes. Since the university is a top rated school, the coursework is definitely demanding. If you slack off, you don't get very far! Luckily, I have a strong work ethic and constantly push myself to do better. I like to succeed at everything I do.

After the fall semester began, time almost seemed to speed up. It was an incredibly odd phenomenon. I guess when you are constantly busy, life appears to increase in speed. Before I knew it, it was Christmastime. I had a pleasant, uneventful Christmas (just the way I like it). Most of my time was spent visiting with my friends and family. Unfortunately, the holidays ended before I wanted them to. In January, I was back in the school routine. One great thing about this semester, though, was that I was hired as a Ballet Barre instructor at the campus recreation center. I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am that I can get paid for doing something I love to do! My job is one of the many perks of being a college student.

Another highlight is that I'm majoring in theatre. :) Contrary to popular belief, theatre is not an easy major. We don't just "play around" (excuse the pun). Along with our regular classes, we also have rehearsals at night. I've had to learn how to juggle my schedule so I have time to prepare for my ballet classes, do homework for my college classes, and attend rehearsals. Although it's hard and sometimes causes me a significant amount of stress, I wouldn't trade my life with anyone else.

Now you see why I haven't written a blog post in a while. ;) I will try to do better in the future. Meanwhile, I have some homework to do!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

"Grouchy Grinches, rhyming foxes in socks, the cat in the hat and old Mr. Knox!
Nooks that can't cook, a pink ink drinking Yink, Jiboos, Gump's Wump... oh, the thinks you can think!
Green eggs and ham, a hopping Yop, Mr. Sam I Am... you probably want me to stop!
One fish, two fish, a goo chewing goose! Red fish, blue fish, Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!"
~By Karen Thead

Pretty much everyone is familiar with a certain trouble-causing, top hat-wearing cat. Everyone grew up with a grumpy, grouchy Grinch who's home is at the top of Mount Crumpit. Everyone's tongue has been twisted trying to keep up with a talkative fox who wears socks. And how about tasting some green eggs and ham? Yep, it's a big part of almost everyone's childhood. HUGE thank you to Theodor Seuss Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) for being such a big part of my childhood! Happy (108th) Birthday! :)

Rhapsody of Rain

As I listen to the sound of soft, steady rain falling…
I lightly brush my fingertips over the keys.
I sit and I feel my heart’s true calling…
And play almost anything that I do please.

Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart and more…
The rain and my music so beautifully blend.
As the thunder sounds, I begin my encore…
Oh, I never… never want it to end.

The lightning crashes—my fingertips fly…
As everything around me fades in a blur.
I see a bright flash illuminate the sky…
I fermata, I pause for the thunder to occur.

As the little hammers hit the tight strings…
The rain patters down on my sill.
My mind begins wondering a great many things…
And my right hand starts doing a trill.

As I hear the rain slowly begin to subside…
I silently thank the storm for its show.
The piano now silent—keys closed up inside…
My fingertips skim across the top as I go.

Being me.

For those of you who don't know me very well, I'm a very emotional person. It doesn't take much at all to make me cry. There are many times when I wish I didn't have this trait, but would I replace my feeling with non-feeling? No, I wouldn't. It's part of who I am and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I've noticed over the years that being extremely emotional has its pros and cons. When you feel a lot, you are more likely to get hurt (as I’ve unfortunately learned time and time again). Others will say something mean about you and it will take a long time to heal the wound from it. On the other hand, being an extremely feeling person means that you love and care deeply.

You might say you’ve never seen me get overly emotional. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to hide it for fear that others will see that in me and try to hurt me. But it’s still there, and it doesn’t take much for someone to find it.

If you look at the internet (especially Facebook), there is a LOT of badmouthing and backstabbing that goes on. Before you choose to write something rude or mean about someone else, why don’t you just take a minute to think about how that might totally effect their day. You never know if they might be having a rough day as it is and that one thing you said was the stone that caused an avalanche of emotions. I have been hurt many, many times by an insensitive remark made about me on what is supposed to be a “social networking site”. I’m not saying you don’t have the right to say what you want, because you DO. We all do. However, I think the world would be a nicer place if people would just think for a minute before saying something that could hurt someone else. Being human, I don’t always abide by this, but I strive to because I know it will make me a better person. Why live your life hurting others? Our time on this earth is too short to waste doing that…

“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.” ~Dale Carnegie

Summer days...

First off, I apologize for not writing anything on my blog since March. I've had a pretty busy summer and honestly haven't thought about my blog in a while. I hope that all my followers have found other things to do in the meantime and haven't just been waiting for me to post something. ;)

Around the first of May, I decided I would audition for Starkville Community Theatre's summer musical revue. I had worked in the sound booth during the 2009 summer show and had done some other things with the theatre as well but I'd never actually been ON SCT's stage. The auditions went well but there were so many other very talented people who also auditioned that I didn't expect I'd get in. Thankfully I was wrong and was offered a role! :) I was BEYOND just "excited" about it. ;)

Rehearsals started and I had the most fun I've had in a while. Of course, it was a lot of work but it all paid off in the end. We had 7 performances (which is quite a few more than I'm used to) and it made me feel like a pro. ;) I now have a better idea of what a Broadway performer's schedule is like.

Being in the show definitely rekindled my love for theatre. I had forgotten how much I love it and how it is such a big part of who I am... :) Can't wait to audition for another show!

Raindrops...

*Splish* *Splash* *Splish*

There is something so soothing about the sound of rain pattering against a window. Listening... my mind starts to wander--getting lost in a trance. All my worries, pains, and fears begin to disappear. Calmness sweeps over my body like taking a deep breath of fresh air. My eyelids flutter once and start to droop. Suddenly, I'm startled as the family cat jumps clear across me and gracefully leaps onto the windowsill. Her nose twitches--eyes as big as saucers. She appears to be in a trance as she watches the rain pattering down against my window...

*Splish* *Splash* *Splish*