 My Mt.. Everest is a metaphor for including in your life fun, recreational activities that challenge your fear and strengthen your courage. It's a sure way to develop your "courage muscle." First, Your Mt.. Everest. Then, the world.
Newsletters: 2009 2008 2007 September 2006 December My Mount
Everest: June, 2006 My Mt. Everest.com is
bringing some wonderful conversations my way. I had
two different conversations this month (one via
email) that brought a different nuance to the
concept of challenging yourself with Your Mt.
Everest project. Stand-Up Comedy is Easy
--- for Some People I was telling a friend
about my Stand Up Comedy Class. Yes, I just
finished one class, and the new one starts in July.
You can come and see me at Hollywood Improv, 8162
Melrose, 4-7pm on Sunday, 8/27/06 if you happen to
be in town. It certainly is scary; I think that's
the point. The rest of the point is that I am
expressing myself every way I can. But that's
another story. My friend said that he had
performed stand-up for a while a long time ago. I
asked why he stopped. He said that it was soooo
easy. His humor centered on his family, and,
therefore, he had an ennnndless supply of material.
It seemed to him as if he were cheating by not
having to reach far for his topics. How could he be
good with no effort? Is Easy
Bad? It's a different twist.
Here the challenge seems to be to do and to respect
something that is so easy for you. Where do we get
the idea that something easy is bad? Where do we
get the idea that something needs to be very
difficult to be worthy of our attention? Fill in
your own answers. I certainly have never heard
anyone say "work easy." It's always "work
hard." Even for most of the things
that are difficult at the beginning (i. e.:
geometry or playing the piano), eventually it gets
easier. And just when it is easy (either from the
beginning or eventually) is really where it all
starts. You can start having fun with it. The added
nuances that you bring to your skill or expertise
is where you continue to challenge yourself. And if
you keep going, you get good enough to share it,
teach it. There is a Place in the
Scheme of Things for "Easy" If, on the other hand, all
you do are the difficult things for you, it's the
same as reading hundreds of books, but only the
first chapter of each one ---- no satisfaction,
nothing learned, nothing to talk about. I was very good at yoga
about 20 years ago. I stopped because, "Well, I did
that; now what?" "Now what!' is currently, 20 years
later, I'm not able to take up where I left off.
Even after almost a year, I'm not yet up to where I
left off. I miss out on the nuances and extra fun
that comes with expertise. Even so, I find value
and joy in what I'm doing. I received an email from
RW. She responded to "having fun." She lapsed into
a written reverie of her own life. " I remember before I was
married and used to have FUN, take risks, not
afraid to meet a new challenge. My mom's favorite
saying to me was always "when are you going to
settle down and be responsible?" Can you have fun while
being responsible? RW concluded that fun and
responsible were not compatible behaviors. So now,
RW is post-marriage, post-children at home,
post-parent care, and still living as if fun, risk,
and challenge (if not work-related) is immoral. She
continued, "Then those days hit that I
feel that old fire that wants to be irresponsible
again - to learn to have fun again and laugh - geez
I realized the other day I just don't laugh
anymore." If dour days of
self-sacrifice are what you practice, dour days of
self-sacrifice are what you do even though it is no
longer functional. So RW concludes, "On those days I want to
get in my car and just drive off to wherever it
takes me and start all over - then the words come
back "responsible." So I go to bed, and get up the
next day and start all over again." Summary Don't be frightened away
from something because it is easy or fun or
frivolous. Make the very ease of it your
challenge. "Maybe how hard or easy
isn't the issue. Instead, how fun is it?"
MMS "Every game ever invented
by mankind, is a way of making things hard for the
fun of it!" John Ciardi (1916-1986),
American Poet
Please let me know if you
would like to contribute to My Mt. Everest
e-letter: About Merle M. Singer: |