Last night at dinner, I suggested to Ammo that he invite some of his theatre friends to the house for a reading night. We would pick a play, and get copies, assign parts and then have everyone over for pizza. After the reading, they could watch a movie of the script- like Crucible or an Arthur Miller- Streetcar or Glass Menagerie.
I could tell he thought it was such a neat idea, but that he was afraid it would be just so uncool.
I have a dear friend back in idyllic Lexington- the one I visited last fall; she is the editor of a literary mag, and every year she threw a Christmas Reading party. People brought their favorite seasonal poem or short story or children's book, and read it aloud.
Lynn is also a fantastic cook, so everyone came-- young and old.
But what a neat thing to do! I think people WANT these things. But are shy and afraid to appear different. Or maybe they are afraid it will turn out like the Ugly Duckling's Birthday party, (a story that haunted me all my life) no one showing up and the ice cream melting around him. Oh God- I start crying just THINKING about that damn story.
But don't we all fear this? And doesn't it keep us from from creating the life and the situations we long for? So we isolate ourselves, and create them for ourselves. The reading, the music, the walks, the writing. Because what if we reach out and discover we really are different and alone? Easier to pretend we choose to be that way.
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