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Have you ever found yourself somewhere and had the realization that nobody you know in the world has any idea of where you are? It’s not a lost feeling, but rather a thrilling sensation, a kind of freedom. Completely autonomous. Unburdened by where you’ve been, or to where you are going, completely untethered to the expectations of what it’s supposed to be.
Suddenly hyper-focused on the present, your senses come alive and your analytical/thinking mind is completely eclipsed by your heart center, which is now wide open and basking in the moment, unattached to what it means, simply delighted and grateful that you are there.
They aren’t on any agenda or itinerary and like gateways or portals that can transport you to places that you never imagined you would go when you woke up that morning.
It happened to me recently. What started out as a morning stroll with my coffee, transformed into sitting in the balcony at Lincoln Center’s David Koch Theater watching a closed orchestra rehearsal for the opening night of the New York City Ballet. The cultural aspect of the experience was exquisite, and there are plenty of things I might share in that regard, but what stood out to me more in that moment, was the deeper awareness around how much magic is just beyond our daily routines.
The only reason I ended up in that orchestra rehearsal that morning was because I got curious. While waiting for the box office to open, a kind elderly woman (probably a volunteer usher I thought – although who the heck knows? She may have been one of the big donor patrons of the ballet. Funny how we assume things about people… – in any case, she asked me “are you here for the orchestra rehearsal?”
“No, we are waiting to buy tickets for tonight” I replied. Followed by an immediate thought – courtesy of “Ego Brain” who selfishly applied what just happened to what it says about me.
“She knows I’m an artist” I thought, “That’s cool!” I observed how that idea put some wind in my sails as I strutted through Lincoln Center Plaza feeling somehow more like the artist I’ve always been, than the tourist I was that day. It had been two and a half years since I was living and working in NYC. And maybe that feeling would have been enough. Shifting energy is always a good thing. I was feeling all the feels. Even my coffee tasted better.
We wandered back to see if the box office was open yet and noticed that the door was ajar and there were some people filing in. “Is the box office open?” I asked? Someone nodded yes and we crossed through. (Portal #1)
Curiosity kicked in as I noticed a few people heading left into the lobby of the theater rather than straight ahead to the box office. I went left instead. (Portal #2). Up ahead I could see them giving their names to someone who checked them off a list. The orchestra rehearsal! This must be an invited rehearsal I thought. On any given day this next moment could absolutely have been perceived as an obstacle. I might have even opted to play it safe and walk away. That morning, I chose instead to consider it as Portal #3 and approached the gatekeeper confidently and wholeheartedly and he invited us through.
In that silence, I felt simultaneously autonomous and connected to myself and everyone. It was true that nobody I knew in the world had any idea of where I was. But I did.
These moments stand out because they are more rare than they need to be. The irony is they aren’t “unicorn” events – they aren’t so difficult to find or obtain. You see, Life never stops offering you the chance to dance but more often than not we are unaware of the invitation or worse, catch a glimpse of it but choose to stand on the sidelines instead. It’s like stumbling on a treasure chest and not opening it because “you don’t have time right now” or walking away because it might be too hard or even scary. With practice, we CAN create more of these moments in our lives. And I invite you to be open to seeing them as more than random moments.
Published in Collaboration with:
Lisa is an ICF Certified Professional Life Coach and Energy Leadership Master Practitioner at Wide Open Stages. She specializes in partnering with highly successful creative people who want to be challenged and inspired to become artists in all areas of their lives. A passionate creative professional herself, Lisa has over 25 years experience working in the performing arts industry as a director/choreographer, producer, writer and dance educator in NYC, nationally and internationally. She is dance faculty at Pace University NYC in the Commercial Dance and Musical Theater BFA programs, and is co-founder of New York Stage Originals, an internationally recognized theatrical production company. Lisa hosts the popular podcast STOPTIME: Live in the Moment and is founder of Wide Open Stages, where she coaches high-performing creatives in the performing arts industry.
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