My husband, our daughter and I saw "Into the Woods" this afternoon and we enjoyed it. There is something to be said about singing instead of speaking, and I am a great fan of opera and musicals. I used to sing everything to my granddaughters when they were little, making certain their names intertwined with the lyrics. I sang as I push the swing, as we made sand castles, as we walked along looking for kitties and flowers and garbage trucks and other exciting things. I sang of their beauty and how smart they were and how they were getting bigger and stronger every day.
We can say words in song that sound silly in prose. We can gain attention and have an eager listener where otherwise no one would hear. I sing to the dogs, and seranade them on dogwalks. Sometimes I lower my voice if I see someone coming and sometimes I do not. I think it's what my teacher Anam Thubten was speaking about in his dharma talk yesterday: singing and dancing is a better conduit to our true hearts and minds. The inexpressible slips easily out of the throat that sings. When we sing we feel the vibration of our heart-mind and our body is speaking with us.
I wonder if I'd ever have the nerve to sing responses to others for one whole day? Of course people would look at me like I'm barmy, but so what? The unexpected is so delightfully awakening. Like a flash mob at a mall: all of a sudden you hear Handel burst out the throats of people all around you while you're waiting for your burrito. What could be more sublime?
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