I pondered this subject line quite a bit this morning and never realized, until now, how we really do play to an audience for most of our lives.  We play the role of the child, the sibling, the friend, the spouse, the partner, the parent, the employee and sometimes the boss.  But it is not until we are sheltered in the comfort of our homes that we become our true selves.  We are stripped of our costumes, the make-up is washed off, the warts come out, the facade is cracked and we are able to be who we truly are with no one to judge us and bombard us with their expectations.

There are moments we glorify with outward happiness when we second guess the cause of that jubilation.  There are times we feign sadness when we are unaffected by the emotion.  We play the role, but we play it to the best of our ability because, as human beings, we know that we need to portray those emotions to help us feel what others feel and give them a sense of understanding.  And in certain moments, we are honestly affected by the circumstance that created those feelings.  Empathy is a strong emotion and those affected with it, as I am, may disagree with my thought process.  But as a truly empathetic person I, too, have been a victim of over-acting a part to assuage the despair of others.

(image credit: nashvilleonthemove.com)

We choose a role and the stage is set.  The lights dim and the scene begins.  We act to the best of our ability and ride on the wave of emotion that is written on the pages.  We feed on the feeling of the other actors on our stage and we are swept up in the roles that were created for us.  We act and we react.  The world is undoubtedly our stage.  During moments of our performance, the spotlights blind us but we act the required part to the best of our ability.

For many, being a performer is a reality that they will never escape.  They feel the need to fit a role and go through the motions day in and day out, never achieving the moment that they can truly break from character and just be who they are.  The simple pleasures in life sometimes escape us while we concentrate on the part we are meant to be playing.

Break from character – rewrite the scene and cast yourself in the role that you want to play.  If you can allow yourself the freedom to escape from the grand performance, even if only briefly, you can play your part with greater honesty on a stage that you created.