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When People Surprise You
Apr. 16th, 2009 10:09 amGoing around the Internet and the news feeds is the story of Susan Boyle who sang a beautiful rendition of “I have a dream” from Le Miz. This rather plain woman who has been singing since she was twelve has the voice of an angel. One of the judges commented that they all were being very cynical about this woman’s ability when they saw her and talked to her but this was a wake-up call for everyone who hears her.
One of the most incredible martial arts I know personally looks like he was the model for the Comic Book Guy on the Simpsons. To look at him, you would never believe the grace and beauty within. But I have seen him spar and do demos and it is magical. He works with a group that works with underprivileged youth (we can still say underprivileged right? I didn’t miss a memo?) and I have gone to see him totally blow people’s expectations about him out of the water.
Yes, we tend to judge people on sight. That is just something that people have been doing since Ogg the big strong caveman was most surprise to find that little Nunk with the bad leg knew how to hunt better than he did. People surprise you with what they can do.
I am surprised and awed by what Caroline can do. A couple of years ago, I had to do everything for her. Now she is showing me how much she can do on her own and how much of her world she is figuring out by just living in it. The other day she wanted to build a robot unicorn. She drew what she wanted the unicorn to look like and then broke the drawing down into component parts and made a schematic diagram of how this unicorn was to be built and labeled all the parts. I was amazed at the detail. Today I am going to see what I can find so we can make this unicorn she wants to make.
I know I surprise people. Even people who have known me for a while. The other day I was talking to some of Ariel’s theater buddies and I mentioned that I had graduated from the Yale School of Drama with an MFA in Stage Management. Who I was changed in their eyes the instant they had that information.
The fact that I married Peter David has still not sunk in with some of my old acquaintances. They know intellectually that I did but still don’t really get that I did even though they have seen me walk around with my husband and daughter.
People are amazed to find out that I am a puppeteer. I didn’t think it was that unusual but apparently it is. I didn’t call myself an artist for years. I thought of myself as a craftsman but not as an artist and that changed when an artist I respected called me such and was surprised I didn’t see myself the way he did.
The old phrase “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is one that I think we have all heard many a time. But we still do judge the book or person or group by what we see on the outside. It is the next step to take the time to look on the inside and see the richness of all that is there.
So a question for the group, what about me surprised you?
I am grateful that I can still surprise people with things I can do.
One of the most incredible martial arts I know personally looks like he was the model for the Comic Book Guy on the Simpsons. To look at him, you would never believe the grace and beauty within. But I have seen him spar and do demos and it is magical. He works with a group that works with underprivileged youth (we can still say underprivileged right? I didn’t miss a memo?) and I have gone to see him totally blow people’s expectations about him out of the water.
Yes, we tend to judge people on sight. That is just something that people have been doing since Ogg the big strong caveman was most surprise to find that little Nunk with the bad leg knew how to hunt better than he did. People surprise you with what they can do.
I am surprised and awed by what Caroline can do. A couple of years ago, I had to do everything for her. Now she is showing me how much she can do on her own and how much of her world she is figuring out by just living in it. The other day she wanted to build a robot unicorn. She drew what she wanted the unicorn to look like and then broke the drawing down into component parts and made a schematic diagram of how this unicorn was to be built and labeled all the parts. I was amazed at the detail. Today I am going to see what I can find so we can make this unicorn she wants to make.
I know I surprise people. Even people who have known me for a while. The other day I was talking to some of Ariel’s theater buddies and I mentioned that I had graduated from the Yale School of Drama with an MFA in Stage Management. Who I was changed in their eyes the instant they had that information.
The fact that I married Peter David has still not sunk in with some of my old acquaintances. They know intellectually that I did but still don’t really get that I did even though they have seen me walk around with my husband and daughter.
People are amazed to find out that I am a puppeteer. I didn’t think it was that unusual but apparently it is. I didn’t call myself an artist for years. I thought of myself as a craftsman but not as an artist and that changed when an artist I respected called me such and was surprised I didn’t see myself the way he did.
The old phrase “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is one that I think we have all heard many a time. But we still do judge the book or person or group by what we see on the outside. It is the next step to take the time to look on the inside and see the richness of all that is there.
So a question for the group, what about me surprised you?
I am grateful that I can still surprise people with things I can do.
