"Fish" I replied.
Fish... I thought... Carp is a fish... Carpe... Carpe diem... Diem... Dies... Dies irae... Remember singing that in the Mozart Requiem many years ago with that conductor with the ponytail?... My ponytail is getting kinda shaggy... Time for a haircut... My hairdresser had a baby and is not taking appointments yet... Remember the profound emotions I had when I had my babies...
You get the idea? One thought swings to the next in a glorious celebration of monkey mind. I teach Yoga and do my best to tame that monkey mind, but it never goes away. It remains brewing beneath the surface of a fairly ordinary reality.
And the person next to me on the road is having her own monkey mind. Journeying to all different times and places all within her own seat. And imagine if your monkey mind was trying to have a conversation with someone else's monkey mind. Would the thoughts ever connect? Maybe. Sometimes.
I do believe there is deep order to the universe and that we can celebrate our perception of order. I do this most of the time. I make lists, clean the house, check things off my to do lists, and I practice Yoga to help me make sense of my body, thoughts, feelings and spirit.
But I also believe that we can celebrate our perception of disorder. Disorder isn't something bad that we need to suppress, we just need to keep it in perspective. I celebrate my perception of disorder through absurdist theatre."Conversations" in this genre consist of thoughts that relate to each other, but only in the mind of the writer, and, occasionally, the audience member. We all seek different things. We all perceive things differently.
Absurdism refreshes me because on the surface it doesn't make sense, so I don't feel any pressure to understand it, I just sit back and enjoy it from moment to moment. But the more I watch I see that there is a kind of order behind the chaos. The chaos reminds me that everyone has their own perception and I can only perceive their perceptions through my own perception. Being aware of this reality exercises my muscles of understanding. It keeps me on my toes. Not having to have a point reminds me that I am valuable even if I am not productive.
I am understudying a role in the Fraudulent Productions play DADA Returns which will play at DCAC in Adams Morgan May 17-June 23, and again in July at the Capitol Fringe Festival. I haven't been on stage in well over a decade and probably won't even go on, but you can bet that I will be there in the audience. And my perspective will be there too. If you can be OK with things not making sense you'll enjoy it too!
