Reviewing the Situation

It finally happened. While doing some cleaning of my bookshelves and files, I sat and started looking through pieces of my past. Rather than simply throwing unneeded things away, I found myself leafing through the pages and allowing my mind to be flooded with memories.

I found the score of the musical Oliver! and remembered the fun that I had with that cast. The young boy who played Oliver was a jewel. I learned so much during those summer musicals about the art of directing and performing. I was a teenager while playing piano for all of those rehearsals and didn't fully understand the education I was getting in those fun summer evenings. Now I know that the shows I did with the community theater -- Oliver!, Gypsy, Camelot -- included some of the best musical instruction I would ever receive. I'm truly indebted to you, Donna!

Of course, I ran across TONS of paperwork from graduate school and relived the fun, stress, and strain that finally resulted in graduation. I remembered hours in the library studying for comprehensives and frantic rehearsals in cramped practice rooms as each semester came to an end. I even found exams from the first class that I ever taught as an adjunct.

I can't decide if I'm a pack rat or just incredibly sentimental. As I remembered the past, I had to fight the urge to hold on to things that really needed to find their way to the trash. It was only when I realized that the "stuff" didn't contain the memories that I was finally able to let go.

What can I say? I need therapy.....and the cleaning of the physical and emotional trash is proving to be a wonderful process for me.