Is It Still Beautiful?

Today I performed in a choir concert.

I love singing; it's probably my favorite thing to do in the entire world.  A choir concert to me is like a giant puddle and the performance is such a gorgeous splash.

A part of me was upset at this concert because my family could not come and watch me perform.  They live farther away from me now that I'm at college, and it's hard to have them miss out on my performances... my splashes.

When you are a little kid and you discover a new trick that you can do (like doing a cartwheel)... you want to show everyone you know.  You want them to experience the same joy and admiration that you feel.

I felt like a little kid.  I wanted the people that I loved most to see my beautiful splash.  I wanted them to experience my music.... to feel that joy and admiration just as I do.

Then I had a thought: "If you splash in a puddle and no one sees it, the splash can still be beautiful."  You can experience it's beauty.

In my performance I saw the beauty of my splash.  What made it even cooler was the fact that my choir (which is about 40 people) made one giant collective splash.  It was big, unique, and we all influenced the final, collective, incredible outcome.

While I am still upset that my family could not be there (and I know they were too... especially my Mom!) I still made a splash!  Standing on that stage, I helped to make something beautiful!

I guess it goes down to the age old question of: "If a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

If I jump in a puddle and make a beautiful splash, and no one sees it... is it not beautiful?

Of course the tree made a sound... thats vibrations, science, and a whole lot of technical terms that I do not know!

And of course the splash is still beautiful!  I experienced the thrill of the splash and the thrill of bathing in that cool water... that beautiful music.

I jumped for myself.  I jumped to experience joy in singing.  I lived up on that stage.  The jump was for the thrill for the thrill of the performance.  That makes the splash even more beautiful.

I jumped to relish in the splash.

The Splash Zone

Sea World.  Hershey Park.  Community pools.  All of these places have splash zones: a zoned off area where you'll know you'll get wet.

Kids run to them, expecting a thrill of cold water splashed on them. Adults either avoid them like the plague or begrudgingly sit in them (watching their kids) with a poncho on.

What if you didn't know where a splash zone was?  What if you could randomly get splashed as you're going through your day to day?

This happened to me tonight.  

Some friends and I were craving a late night snack, so like any stereotypical group of college kids, we went to Taco Bell.  

After enjoying my delicious soft-shell taco, I was listening to my friend tell a story.  He was really into its delivery and was incorporating hand and eventually entire arm movements.  Without realizing it, he knocked over his cup of ice water, onto my pants.  

I literally experienced the repercussions of someone else's splash.  I was in the splash zone.

This got me thinking, who gets hit by the puddles that I splash in?  While he had no intention of getting me soaked and freezing, I experienced the result of my friend's spontaneity.  Do I unknowingly splash others when I am living in the moment?

This makes me think twice about jumping into puddles.  

In the end, we had a funny story to tell.  We had a good laugh.  And I had a cold walk home.  

I guess we never know how our splashes will affect others.  It could get them wet, uncomfortable, and even angry.  It could also be a well needed splash of humor, a good story, or even a wake up call. 

 I guess it is good to make sure you splash appropriately.  Just as you shouldn't jump in a puddle right next to someone, you shouldn't act spontaneously at another's expense.   Living in the moment, jumping in a puddle, can have negative repercussions.  You have to make sure that you think of how your actions can negatively impact others.  Give them a splash zone.  But if you don't know they are close enough to get wet... it just may be the splash that they need.

Creating a Splash

As soon as I wake up each morning I go through my plan for the day.  I have my schedule planned out before I'm even out of bed.  The route for my day is set.

Halfway through my day I encountered a puddle that I was not expecting.  I had forgotten to pick up my outfit for a performance that I'm in tonight.  This meant that I ate lunch on the go and had to reroute my afternoon.  This puddle was deep, cold, and kind of muddy.  

At first I was really annoyed with this puddle.  I so wanted to walk around it, but it was too big to avoid.  I was begrudgingly making a pitiful splash.  It turned out that my roommate (and friend) also had to pick up his outfit, so we walked together.  

Instead of focusing on the negatives of this walk (like the cold wind or the long walk) I started talking with my roommate.  We started to talk about life after we graduate.  We discussed dreams, aspirations, fears, and thoughts that we both had for ourselves.  

I ended up forgetting that I was even dealing with a puddle.  I enjoyed our conversation so much that I realized I was unknowingly living in the moment.  I was walking through a pretty sweet splash!  

Simply by focusing on good company, camaraderie, and encouraging conversation I was able to turn a murky, miserable puddle into a clear pool that produced a day-brightening splash.

So my route had a puddle in the middle of it, but it turned out to be a needed detour.  I guess that the kind of splash isn't determined by the puddle, but by how you jump into it. 

The Puddle Dilemma

You just woke up on a chilly November morning to the soft patter of rain at your window.

After a fast shower and downing a cup of coffee you are out the door to meet your day.

Holding your umbrella you encounter the first big puddle.  Here is the first dilemma of your day: around it or through it?

In life we encounter puddles every day of our lives.  Do I talk to the stranger I'm sitting next to on the bus? Should I ask her to be my girlfriend?  Do I give the homeless man my change?  Should I start going to the gym?  What should I do with the rest of my life?  What makes me happy?

Just as you approach a rain puddle you also approach these real-life puddles.  Do you avoid your real-life puddles?  Or do you jump in, risk getting your socks wet and make a giant splash?

As a child meets a rain puddle they instinctively take a giant leap and make a huge splash.  In the same way as a child meets a dilemma they usually jump right in.  Children do not think about getting their socks wet or where they have to be with dry feet.  They live in the moment and enjoy the splash.

Just as a child instinctively relishes in the splash of every puddle they encounter, I also want to have that joy in every day of my life.  How many puddles have I walked around?  How many beautiful splashes have I missed?  Doesn't the joy of living in the present outweigh damp socks?

But this morning, as I got to that puddle I walked around it.  I had class all day and I couldn't go around with wet socks.

Well here I go.  This is an account of my struggles with life's puddles.  The past is behind me and I am officially jumping into a new puddle: blogging.  Let's hope I see a beautiful splash.