Deep Thought

Today, I had a lovely early afternoon chatting with a friend overlooking San Diego’s beautiful bay. As we were chatting about spending the holiday season alone (contrary to popular belief, you actually see more people than usual because everyone is worried about you being alone on the holiday), general theatre gossip, and specific San Diego dance gossip, I found out something that I had never known. Her long deceased husband’s brother had been a dancer… a ballet dancer to be precise. Since I have known her for years and have often spoken about our families, I was quite surprised this had not come up. Like many artists, it seems that he had toiled over the years, barely making a living in his pursuit of the artistic life. Unlike my personal history, his parents were not supportive. Neither was his brother. Only his sister offered a safe harbor. My friend told me that she had often encouraged her husband (who was pretty well off) to maybe send him a small sum (like $100 weekly) to help out. The answer was always No. He was not going to encourage his sibling’s foolish endeavor. She finished by saying that she always felt sorry for her brother in law and his unhappy life. That was when I said, “Oh, no. You shouldn’t assume that he was unhappy. Maybe he was (I certainly didn’t know), but… he had something that many people never get in life. He had a passion. He had a connection to that thing that we call the divine. He had that spark to pursue something that inspired and elevated him. Maybe he was never ‘comfortable’, but I don’t think he would have traded his ‘discomfort’ for all the security in the world.” Either way, the thought seemed to be a comfort to both of us as we sat in the sun and looked over the sun dappled wavelets in the harbor.