There is nothing quite like a school talent show to show you the deep vulnerability and power of creativity and dreams.
Sitting in the audience, I could feel the dizzying mix of nerves and excitement. It was palpable. All these kids, recognizing that they have a special gift or calling and daring to put it out there. Daring to take their dreams, their gifts and their callings seriously. Skits, songs, instrumentals, dance, gymnastics, game creation, magic, and the artwork that flanked the stage on both sides. The level of bravery required is really quite staggering. Sitting there, I reflected that I don’t know many adults who could do that. Myself included. (At least until I started stepping more intentionally toward that fear and strong desire in myself, but even then.)
Also palpable was the power of the support system provided by the families, educators, staff and community that filled the room. Starlit children, whose voices shook as they sang their favorite song, left the stage with awestruck smiles and went straight into the arms of loving hugs. Others who lost their way found friends coming from all over the audience section to greet them at the stage stairs to make sure they knew how loved and appreciated they were. These friends knew what it took to get up there and didn’t have to be told how tender a moment this was. Touching too were the friends to the sides of the stage (itself, a homemade and heartfelt ode to joy and childhood wonder) as their friends performed. Literally dancing like no one was watching and so full of joy, pride and celebration.
It’s moments like these that give me hope. That there are still those among us who are not yet so jaded, cynical or beat down to dismiss all of this as mere fancy. Or hobby. Or extra. Or some other way we tend to categorize things as somehow to the side of what is core and what truly matters.
As I see it, this perfectly exemplifies what matters. Daring to believe in ourselves and our dreams. Daring to step into the vulnerable arena of creativity that we are all born into as children and most find our way out of through portals of hurt and fear.
Because creativity is what gives birth to ideas. And dreams are what give them life. We can’t make this world a better place, or our lives align with our deepest visions for them, without both. And we can’t cultivate both without the kind of care and support that was radiating from the room. The wholeheartedly returned embrace. The trust fall.
And, the thing is, when you are brave enough to be vulnerable, and to dream, a wild thing happens. You build that muscle. You build your skill. You build your confidence. You learn that using your voice, even when it shakes, is a powerful and worthwhile thing. Simply for the sake of it. And, also, for the impact and inspiration that ripples out from it.
As many people chose to sing songs from the early Taylor Swift archive, I thought about the importance and far reach of just that. Because, of course, there was a first time for her too. And all of the other artists represented that evening. They stood up and took the stage long before they knew they would become the stars they are today. Long before they were probably even old enough to go to the arenas they would someday be selling out. They all have different stories, but at least two things are the same. That they dreamed and that they dared.
May we all be so bold. Steadfast and rebellious in our daring to dream. And may we all encourage the bold. If not for ourselves, for the generations that follow.
As the show came to a close with a haunting, evocative rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” the song I used to sing to the flowers in my garden as a wonder-filled little girl, I felt inspired to do my part to create the kind of world where the dreams that we dare to dream really do come true.
I think we all did.
I hope we all do.