Sharing Beauty

This week I was walking in Georgetown when a tourist-looking father with his family in tow, stopped me for directions.   

He asked, "Is there something beautiful to see over there?"[pointing in the direction they were headed]
If I could have made a sound and not appeared rude, I would have guffawed.   
He continued, "Some with fountains and where to watch boats?" (English was not his native language) 
I answered in the affirmative and directed him to the Georgetown Waterfront. 

They were looking for beauty and I showed them where they could find it.  How curious to ask for beauty so nonchalantly.  And how easily I could share it!

A week ago I took an impulsive day trip to NYC.  It ended up taking a little more planning than I had intended when I realized I could not easily get to the bus stop in time for my 6:15 am departure.  But alas, with the help of a friend, I made the trip. 

I deem the trip as impulsive and maybe a little reckless, because I had just gone to NYC the weekend before.  In fact, I had barely been home an hour after the previous trip when I went to my laptop and bought tickets to go back.  And it was not a cheap trip. 

Why did I do this? South Pacific.  I had to see that show again with Paulo Szot and Kelli O'Hara.  Was it worth it? Yes.  Is there anyone who can understand why I had to do this?  Maybe.  You tell me.  I can try to explain it. 

You see, I already knew it was a remarkable show because I had seen it twice before in the last four months--one of those times was the week before.  The only actress who was different on this day was Kelli O'Hara.  I had heard amazing things about her performances on stage and when I saw the show the week before, I only missed her return to the show by three days. 

South Pacific has been buzzing through my mind for the last year and a half.  The story, the themes and the music flow seamlessly throughout the show.  The depiction of love as well as conflicts of race, prejudice and war seem so pertinent to current events.  Most of all I love how amidst all the seeming chaos Nurse Nellie Forebush sings that she is "stuck like a dope with a thing called hope, and [she] can't get it out of [her] heart!" Knucklehead Nellie is the cock-eyed optimist who falls for the romantic Frenchman. 

Do you remember when I mentioned how we hope for something better? We hope for and seek out things like beauty, love, peace and understanding.  I often find it in the form of music.  In this instance, it was in a musical and the depiction of a rather miraculous story of love in conflict.  I have relished in it for almost two years now.  We are not all moved by the same things, but I am happy to share with others what is beautiful to me. 

Now on a more serious note, a little eye candy from the show:


Okay, just one more.  This one is Brian Stokes Mitchell and Reba in Carnegie Hall:



beck