The lady in the theatre stopped me and said, "Your sister is so amazing."
I went to Boston this week to watch my sister in her play at Wheelock Family Theatre, Charlotte's Web. And Holy Hammer in Hicksville, she is awesome. The play is amazing, and the whole cast grabs you and doesn't let you go for the whole ride. Templeton is snarky spectacle in her pure rattiness. Wilbur is humble and radiant. The goose and gander make me laugh every time they are on stage. The baby spiders are ridiculously cute...
But the woman was right. The high flying Caroline Lawton is amazing. Her aerial maneuvers display an incredible strength and show off her dedication to learning new things - she just started circus school a few months ago when she was cast. And she is mesmerizing - you simply can't take your eyes off of her when she is on the set.
But the performance was not what the woman stopped me to talk about. She continued:
"Your sister is so kind on set. She has really just set the tone for the whole play, of one of kindness, and the way that she has been with my daughter...."
The woman looked away to giver herself a moment to gain control of her voice again. "Caroline has been so wonderful to all of the kids. Your sister is amazing."
The play Charlotte's Web is about what it means to be a friend. What it means to go from thinking only about yourself to thinking about the needs and wants of somebody else, and figuring out how you can help them. The theme, woven throughout the script, is of selfishness versus selflessness. Charlotte embodies the latter characteristic, and Caroline inhabits that part of the character completely, both onstage and off.
The moment of triumph in the show for Charlotte is not the moment in which she saves Wilbur's bacon (#sorrynotsorry), but the moment when Wilbur comes to the realization that he needs to look for ways that he can be nice to others. When the gift of received friendship causes someone to move outside of self interest and find ways of doing something for others - that is the climax of the story.
How often do we do that? Not me. I am focused on getting my memo through the bureaucratic hoops. I am worried about my Wednesday briefing, and how I am going to survive the next week of meetings? I am aggravated about the paperwork, frantic over the emails, concerned about how overwhelmed I am feeling....
I. Me. My.
What if my focus instead were on the people around me? What if I looked to see what Jenny is struggling with, and acted out of kindness, instead of just looking to use her to get my projects done? What if I stopped by to talk - really talk - with Brenda, instead of only leaving my desk to deal with the crisis at hand, exploding with anger that yet another memo had been hijacked and delayed?
What if I practice kindness?
I want to be amazing. Just like my sister.
I went to Boston this week to watch my sister in her play at Wheelock Family Theatre, Charlotte's Web. And Holy Hammer in Hicksville, she is awesome. The play is amazing, and the whole cast grabs you and doesn't let you go for the whole ride. Templeton is snarky spectacle in her pure rattiness. Wilbur is humble and radiant. The goose and gander make me laugh every time they are on stage. The baby spiders are ridiculously cute...
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| Gary Ng took incredible shots of Charlotte and Wilbur. |
But the performance was not what the woman stopped me to talk about. She continued:
"Your sister is so kind on set. She has really just set the tone for the whole play, of one of kindness, and the way that she has been with my daughter...."
The woman looked away to giver herself a moment to gain control of her voice again. "Caroline has been so wonderful to all of the kids. Your sister is amazing."
The play Charlotte's Web is about what it means to be a friend. What it means to go from thinking only about yourself to thinking about the needs and wants of somebody else, and figuring out how you can help them. The theme, woven throughout the script, is of selfishness versus selflessness. Charlotte embodies the latter characteristic, and Caroline inhabits that part of the character completely, both onstage and off.
The moment of triumph in the show for Charlotte is not the moment in which she saves Wilbur's bacon (#sorrynotsorry), but the moment when Wilbur comes to the realization that he needs to look for ways that he can be nice to others. When the gift of received friendship causes someone to move outside of self interest and find ways of doing something for others - that is the climax of the story.
How often do we do that? Not me. I am focused on getting my memo through the bureaucratic hoops. I am worried about my Wednesday briefing, and how I am going to survive the next week of meetings? I am aggravated about the paperwork, frantic over the emails, concerned about how overwhelmed I am feeling....
I. Me. My.
What if my focus instead were on the people around me? What if I looked to see what Jenny is struggling with, and acted out of kindness, instead of just looking to use her to get my projects done? What if I stopped by to talk - really talk - with Brenda, instead of only leaving my desk to deal with the crisis at hand, exploding with anger that yet another memo had been hijacked and delayed?
What if I practice kindness?
I want to be amazing. Just like my sister.
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