A'Marie By The Sea

So a mysterious tweet popped up yesterday. Geek and Sundry put up a call to game for the LA area. It had a time, a place, and a promise of some fun.

Image owned by Geek and Sundry

If anyone has seen my twitter lately, or been in the passenger seat of my car the past few weeks, you will know I have a new obsession.

Hamilton.

The musical about Alexander Hamilton.

You know, that guy from US History that you learned about for a week and then promptly forgot because the way we teach people now a days is by dry, boring memorization for the sake of tests (upon tests).

I digress, that is a rant for a different post.

Hamilton is a now Broadway musical written and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda. You might also know him as the person behind In the Heights from a few years back. It's based on the biography by Ron Chernow which Miranda read on a long plane ride. He has described it as a story about America then preformed by America now. The cast is diverse, extremely talented, and they glow with pride at every note. As well they should. It's a phenomena that is, in fact, phenomenal.

Story short, I like it. There are layers and repetition in storytelling that make this show stand out, and in that I feel there are things we can take away which apply to our lives right now. A few words of advice from the past and present. I compiled a few below!

You Can Wait or You Can Act

 While our titular character is Alexander Hamilton himself, it is just as much the story of his rival Aaron Burr (sir). Hamilton's theme throughout the show is his fear of missing his shot at history. He is portrayed as a man of conviction and recklessness - the opposite of Aaron Burr.

Burr's first solo is a song called Wait for It. In it he explains how he knows there is a reason he is where he is and it will show itself eventually. So he waits. He is full of caution, hedging his bets so he can never be on the 'wrong side'. He lags behind, stagnant, lacking the courage to push forward.

You can wait for life to come to you, passively, or you can get up in its face and demand action. Make your own opportunities, there's no guarantee they will come find you.

Be Honest, But Not Cruel

If there is anything to say about the legacy of Alexander Hamilton, it's that he was a very straightforward person. He knew what he believed and he wasn't afraid to say it. In fact, he would probably tell you without you ever asking. And then also write up a pamphlet.

Hamilton's ability to speak freely and honestly is a large part of what helped him reach a top seat in the US government, with all that entailed. I feel like it's something I hesitate to do sometimes, for fear of judgment or being wrong. This hold me, holds us, back from really connecting with people who could better us and removing people who are toxic.

Yet, honesty can be a sharp sword. Hamilton broke his wife's heart by his willingness to bare any and all truths no matter the consequence. While I'm not saying Eliza did not deserve to know the truth, she certainly did, he did it is a needlessly cruel way that hurt her and rippled through their family. Do not purposefully hurt someone with the excuse of honesty. (Taylor Swift also has an excellent line about that.)

How You Are Remembered Is Defined By You - And Those Around You

You know you've thought about it. How will people remember you? What will you be known for?

Your actions make your history and your future. However, I am not just talking about the steps you take in your career or the physical changes you make to the world. While they play their part, how you interact with people, how you affect them or how your work affects them, is what truly shapes how you are remembered. Going through life not caring who you hurt will never be worth what you achieve. Don't be a villain, a jerk, a tyrant.

People are not perfect. We will not be beloved by everyone, but if you approach people with kindness and understanding, you may find people would rather be friends than foes. I have found amazing people, who I would have not had the opportunity to get to know if I was not open to it - to them. We are building things together, my dreams and their dreams. That makes a mark.


What can I say? Musicals speak to me. ;)

A quick anecdote:

About . . . 3ish weeks ago someone hit my car.

 I was sitting in the turn lane with my blinker on, as you do, waiting to turn into a plaza that held what I needed most at that moment it my life - caffeine. It was about 6 in the morning and I was going to pop into Starbucks on my way to work. As I am waiting for a car to pass so I can safely make a left hand turn, I see in my rear view mirror a car coming out of the drive-thru exit. It's not going around me. It's coming at me. I have no where to go so I am helpless as the car hits me. It jolts me forward and I enter a state that I would describe as dumbfounded shock.

The only option available to me at that point was to finish my turn and park, hoping that the driver would do the responsible thing and follow. Luckily, they did. We park, get out of our respective cars, and I see that it a woman, probably not much older than me. I will refer to her as Miss Tea. She starts to apologize right away. She like me, had needed an extra caffeine boost. I ask her if she is alright since, beyond my shock, I am not hurt. Neither is she. We exchange information and take pictures of our cars to assess the damage. There isn't any more than a tiny scratch on wither vehicle. The worst that happened was that her iced tea had spilled over the interior of her car and on her jacket.

At that point I tell her it's probably fine and I will let her know later that day if anything needs to be done - just in case something I'm not noticing now is actually damaged. So we say goodbye, she goes to clean her car, I go to get my chai tea (finally) and head to work.

My car is fine. Her car is fine. We were both unhurt and in my opinion that was the most important thing. I sent her a text telling her that we were square. She thanked me and said she wished she send me something. I told her we were good. It was the best version of what could have happened.

Fast forward to yesterday:

I open my mailbox to find an envelope from Miss Tea. I wasn't expecting one and I hadn't given her my address - though I later realized that it's on my driver's license, of which she had a photo. Inside is a thank you card and a gift card for $100. To say I was again in shock is an understatement.

When I went to work and said that the woman who hit my card was a nice person I was told by everyone that she would probably try and swindle me. "They always seem nice." "They will say they're fine and claim damages later." All sorts of nasty thing that made me doubt my impression of Miss Tea. Was I really that gullible?

No, I was not.

This isn't to say that if something like this happens to you you shouldn't take the steps to insure you are protected. Take pictures, take down the information, etc.

My point is that people seem to assume the worst in others. Their first instinct is distrust.

Not everyone is out to get you.

Nice people exist - even in bad circumstances.

It's nice to be reminded of that truth sometimes.