Oh, right, like I'm the only one who did that. Pshaw.
I have mixed feelings about classes starting again. On the one hand, I live for improv, so I suppose you could say I'm "happy." On the other hand... Oh, who am I kidding? I don't have mixed feelings at all. In my perfect world scenario, I would do improv 5 times a week, and there wouldn't be this annoying anxious feeling in my stomach after a long break because there wouldn't be a long break.
Nevertheless, the break happened and my stomach hurts. Not as much as Andy, Co-Dependent's hurts, but that's a whole other story. I don't get nervous before a show, but I get nervous about a new class. Weird, right? But I have a theory about that, and I'm gonna share it with you because, you know, I really love my theories.
See, in class, I'm nervous because I know I'm going to try things I'm not so good at. And I know I'm not always going to succeed. And, like most normal Americans, I don't like that whole not succeeding thing. In fact, it pretty much sucks.
But I'm not nervous about performing because I know I'm going to give it my best, play to my strengths and have a great time with my troupemates. By the time a show rolls around, my mind has settled down into "I'm going to do the best I possibly can, and that's all anybody can do," and I somehow trust that and don't get nervous.
Why I can't adapt that thought to class is anybody's guess. I'm gonna eat another piece of fruitcake and ponder it for a while. In the meantime, don't worry about it if you're nervous for the start of another (or your very first) improv class - it just means you're willing to try something that's out of your comfort zone, and that's the best way I know to start a new year! Yay you!
By Sonnjea Blackwell
