See...yesterday I took Max to the park. Now, being a young parent, I don't really have any other parent friends...and I don't always relate to other parents in situations such as the park. I did some observing and noticed other parents there, just sitting around, watching their kids or pushing them calmly on the swings.
And here I was, talking in a New York accent, pushing Max on the tire swing, telling him I was Tommy, the tire swing concierge...and that by pushing him, I was doing him a favor. A favor which I'd like returned. I told him I was going to push him 10 minutes into the future and his job was to tell me how different it was.
He was laughing like a hyena. (So was I.) This went on for 20 good minutes or so. Then, I got on the tire swing and noticed him mimicking me to an extent. And that's when I realized something: improv has made me a better parent.
Maybe that's sappy, but it's true. It's helped me to stay in the moment and really listen to Max. And I've noticed that when we spend time together, it's a lot more full than it's been before.
I started taking classes because I've always wanted to be an improviser, and because I needed to polish my wit for work. But what I've found is that improv has unlocked this part of me that I never knew existed.
There might be some who think that perhaps I'm not looking at improv the right way, but I would have to disagree. It's an art. Indeed, I know this. But along with that, I've found it's almost a metaphor for one way to live one's life: Stay in the moment and listen.
I realize how sappy I sound...but look, 10 minutes into the future, I have a Popeye arm...just one gigantic arm...the right one to be exact.
...and if it weren't for improv, I wouldn't have been able to prepare myself for that.
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