Impressive Night at the Playhouse

I attended opening night of Les Miserables at the Des Moines Community Playhouse recently.  I am not a professional theatrical reviewer by any stretch of the imagination.   I attend because I like "live" theatre and I am compelled to write today because of the level of professionalism demonstrated that evening on the Playhouse stage.  Steve Barry as Jean Valjean, Maxwell Schaeffer as Javert and Katy Merriman in the role of Cosette provided what can only be described as tier one performances.  And this is not meant as a means to take away anything from the 46 other members of the cast who provided a truly enjoyable and spot on production.

And this was opening night.

There were of course a couple of technical issues that normally crop up for the first time the curtain rises and since this review is coming a week into the run of the show they have certainly been addressed.  But even with those shortcomings, Les Miz at the Playhouse was an outstanding production.  Barry's and Merriman's solo vocal performances on stage were of the caliber that made you close your eyes and just revel in the beauty of their voices.  Dani Boal also scored big time in the roll of Eponine when she commanded center stage herself n the second act.

 Les Miserables is a major undertaking for any theatre company but  the Playhouse cast and crew were up to the challenge.  It appears a lot of other people have felt the same way.

 https://www.facebook.com/DMPlayhouse 

 The final scenes will give you pause and a moment to reflect which is what good dramatic theatre is supposed to do.  It might also make you leave the building checking your calendar to see if you can squeeze in another performance before the show's run concludes Thursday April 13.

Making Some Time for Some Great Chaos

            There are all kinds of important aspects to life.  This is about one of them.         

            We can get really busy.  Just look at your calendar at home or the office.  If you are having trouble seeing the date listed for a particular day, there is an issue to be addressed.  This is often the case in my home which is only comprised of my wife, me, and the golden retriever. (Maggie).  There have times when our marriage has been referred to as a post-it-note marriage because we are active and often times pass each other in the wind.  Sound familiar?

            Then something happens that brings everything to a screeching halt.  One word, Family.  So it was this past weekend…and this could be any weekend in any year.  It was in fact a rarity because when you have family that includes four sons and a daughter, four of the five which are married and the fifth to be wed soon, and ten grandchildren with another one the way, getting everyone together in one place is indeed an accomplishment. 

            There is the laughter, the catching up, and the horsing around.  All of it happened, by the way, without the use of social media.  Part of the reason gatherings such as these are so infrequent is the fact that so many people are so busy.  After an experience that lasted only of the past 36 hours its clear there needs to be more of them. If you have a large one a small one, a challenge today should be to initiate an effort to get everyone together of what would be considered your immediate family.   This kind of time is precious and it is far too infrequent in today’s “busy” society.  But it’s a perfect opportunity to put that busyness aside and enjoy a type of chaos that is precious.

Examples from College Students

I have had the opportunity for the past couple of months to work with a two groups of young people who are really setting the example for others. A lot of non work time is spent doing work for Optimist International, one of the major service organizations in the country. We have found that college aged young people are really inclined to fit in to the community service model because they want to make a difference in the communities where they are spending a portion of their lives.

This was no more evident than over the past few months when Optimist Clubs came to be in Forest City (December) at Waldorf College and most recently, Iowa State University in Ames. (March) The group in Forest City is just 15 people but you have to remember enrollment on campus numbers in the hundreds and not the thousands. They plan to partner with the local elementary school as they attempt to brighten and improve the lives of children in the area. 41 students have jumped on the bandwagon at Iowa State University where students are still in a recruiting mode. They too will be working to positively impact the lives of children in the Ames area.  Both groups also afford their members leadership, and personal development opportunities as they work on strengthening and improving the nonprofit groups of which they are members.

What  is probably most refreshing is their attitudes. These students really have nothing but a positive outlook. I spoke last week with Drake University President David Maxwell who announced he was going to be retiring in June of 2015. He's been working much longer than I have with college students and he indicated he often tells his colleagues on campus that when they are feeling down, just to "go talk with a group of students." His point should be clear. Their outlook, their questioning, and their willingness to get something done should be something those of us in the older generation should emulate. A lot of us already do...but there needs to be so many more.

Just take a look at the headlines (remember my vocation is journalism) and I am certain any day of the week you can find half a dozen "needs" that should  be addressed in your community. Pick one and get involved. I know you will find, just like these new "community servants" in Forest City and Ames have found, that it will be a rewarding experience. 

The Art of Persuasion

Tips on Persuasion

I have a friend who actually has a class he teaches at conferences and such called, "How to get People to do stuff" which is along the same line of this post on persuasion.  Check him out by the way at www.michaelangelocaruso.com.  It's all about the art of listening and then picking the moment to make your case.  And of course as the above  post by Kevin Daum in Inc. magazine, there are times when you have to step away and  even though you've made the great arguement, it's not going to be your day.  Enjoy Monday

Jim

Downtime and Why It's Important

Got a minute?  For a lot of people that may be a tough question to answer or they will come up with an immediate "no."  We are living in an on-demand immediate gratification society where time always seems to be short and the hours in the day do not work out to the number we think we need.

It seems to be more and more important right now to actually be able to answer the above question as "yes."   " In fact, I have several."   While that may seem rare in the world is really is critically important for my and for your well being. 

We are not robots.  We are not perfect.  Yet society seems to think we need to be both and we need to go 24/7 in order to function properly.  Nothing is further from the truth.  Whether you are 13, 35, 50 of 70 we all need to get away.  We all need to unplug and sometimes do absolutely nothing.  (Watching television usually will fall into that category because when you think about it, it does not take a lot of intelligence to sit and watch a box.)

I personally schedule,  and yes scheduling down time is important because otherwise it will pass you by, some down time on a daily or every other day basis.  It allows for the recharging of the batteries, it helps the healing process, and it refreshes.  We were made to work and we were made to rest.  Without the latter you won't be able to work.

So schedule some down time.  Take a walk.  Watch some TV.  Read a little.  Everything that has been crowding your schedule will still be there when you are done.  Besides, the down time will make it easier to tackle what is there when you are done.

Want a little more on the topic.. http://mynorthwest.com/646/420183/Do-nothing-for-two-minutes  is a block from a reporter at KIRO in Seattle who has some similar thoughts. 

So enjoy some down time soon.  You'll be better for it.

Getting Off the Merry-Go-Round

When will we learn? When will we understand or at least begin to understand that being connected is not always a good thing? When will we learn that the world will not end as we know it if we just from time to time decide to get off the merry go round.


This is a subject that is becoming increasingly important because we as a society are becoming increasingly connected. There is nothing wrong with being connected. The fact that we can reach down and grab a phone and have literal instant access to any information we want or touch base with any person we want regardless of their location is a testament to technology.

 If you sit down and think about it, it really is mind boggling to be able to sent a text message from the phone in your hand or on your belt look or in your person to someone half way around the wold and have a reply from them in a matter of seconds.

You will understand why the phase "mind boggling" is used if you remember the author is someone who grew up at a time of rotary dial telephones and operator assisted calls.

Being connected is great but I need to argue a point which was made a couple of years ago, there comes a time to disconnect. There comes a time to "get off the grid" and try to enjoy what life has to offer.

Do I really need to have a phone with me as I take the dog for a walk? Do I really need to check my messages the moment after my alarm goes off in the morning? And if I answer no to those questions, will my world come crashing down because I ignore the blinking light that indicates a message is waiting?

It won't.

It's didn't for the countless generations before the technology was developed and it won't now.

USA today had an excellent article awhile back on this topic that's worth a read  

http://tinyurl.com/ccxyq4w .
  I'll be going to walk the dog shortly. If you text me or call me I will guarantee two things.   The first is that you won't get an immediate response.   The second is I will respond...soon.

We Need to Turn It Down a Notch

January 21, 2013 was a day when pomp and circumstance took over.  It was the inauguration of President Obama for his second term in office.  It reminded me of past inaugurations.  I am still somewhat of a political junkie so when it comes to things like inaugurations, elections, and political conventions I tend to pay attention more so than a lot of other people.  There is something unique about each of those events.  Maybe it’s because of the way they are structured in our country.  You have to admit our political system has stood the test of more than 200 years.

            But it seems we are fraying around the edges.  Some would just come out and say the system is broke because we cannot seem to get anything done.  We almost cannot agree on anything.  Posturing has replacing consensus building.  My way or the highway has replaced compromise.  The rhetoric has become almost acidic to the point of poisoning the system and prompting the vast majority of people to simply no longer care.  The rhetoric has also divided this country to the point where divine intervention may be the only thing that closes the chasm between people.

            There is an answer though, even if it becomes only a starting place for reducing our differences and providing a point from which we can again seek consensus and compromise.  This was inauguration week and inaugural addresses are sometime known for just a sentence.  President Kennedy’s  “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country” comes to mind.  Then there is this…which was tucked away in an inaugural address less than a decade later.

“Greatness comes in simple trappings.
The simple things are the ones most needed today if we are to surmount what divides us, and cement what unites us.
To lower our voices would be a simple thing.
In these difficult years, America has suffered from a fever of words; from inflated rhetoric that promises more than it can deliver; from angry rhetoric that fans discontents into hatreds; from bombastic rhetoric that postures instead of persuading.
We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another—until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices.”    Sounds like it applies to this day and age.  But it was President Nixon who said it in 1969 at his inauguration, following the tumultuous year of 1968 which included the Tet offensive, the assassinations of Kennedy and King and the unrest in major cities including 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.   Perhaps those words from 1969 should apply to today.  Just some food for thought from someone who is getting tired of the rhetoric.

“We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another—until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices.”  

 

                                                                                                            Richard Nixon  1969