There's a temptation to envy a person for his talent. It's easy to be jealous. To refuse to read a writer younger than you who has become famous. To look for the flaws in a polished painting. To take pleasure in the off notes of a talented singer. Part of it is human nature and part is insecurity, but none of it feels nice.
So, tonight don't do that. For once don't do that. Let yourself go. Don't let it be about you and what you've accomplished and what you've not.
Sit in a dark theater and listen to a man sing who has a great voice.
His voice is rich, like chocolate cake, and he uses it easily. It may take work, but you can't see the work. All the best art is like that. The notes run high and then low and in curly cues dancing all over the room and even though you don't know anything about singing, you know that this is good. This is good.
He sings three songs. Before the first one starts you're prepared to be unimpressed, but by the middle you're tapping your feet and you can't help smiling. This man was made to do what he's doing right in front of you in the dark, and it feels right to watch him.
Put aside your cynicism. (God, when did you get so jaded?) And even be taken in by the upbeat lyrics about miracles and freedom and achieving your dreams, even though you've taken and taught enough writing classes to know that ideas like miracles and freedom and achieving your dreams are trite. Yeah. Put all that aside, hard as it may be, and just for a three minute song--believe in them.
And you do. For those three minutes, you believe. Because here is a man who has achieved his dreams. He's standing right in front of you doing what he loves to do. And it's beautiful, and you feel selfless and giving, and amazed by his talent.
Try this at home:
What is your great talent? How do you nurture it?
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