Lonely?

I’ve been thinking and reading about loneliness lately, thanks to widespread attention on the topic in this pandemic era. The New York Times recently ran this article and 5 minute video montage on loneliness. I attended in in-person talk and panel discussion at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick before Thanksgiving where I got to hear from Jeremy Nobel, author of Project UnLonely and founder and president of the Foundation for Art & Healing. Their website has a host of information and resources to check out!

One of the trickiest elements of feeling lonely is believing that you are the only one feeling that way, and the stigma and shame that we carry when we do feel lonely. We may feel like we are at fault, like we are a failure for feeling this way. One big takeaway for me from my recent reading is that feeling lonely is natural, as natural as feeling thirsty, and that the awareness that this is what I am feeling can be a gift when we look at it through this lens. When we get ourselves that glass roof water to quench our thirst, we remedy our thirst. When we reach out with a phone call, an invitation to walk, we similarly act to counter our loneliness, to remedy our isolation. There are myriad ways to counter our isolation.

I feel compelled with my playback experience to offer online performances, not only because I love playback and believe in the power of sharing our stories and honoring the universal in them, but also to bring together individuals who may otherwise be challenged to get out to in-person events. The arts are a phenomenal way for us to process, share and explore our experiences and to relate to one another. Join me for an upcoming Solar Playback show online. I update this page with upcoming shows. The next one is this Thursday, January 11th from 7-8:15pm ET. Zoom registration is required and free, follow this link to register:

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.

When: Jan 11, 2024 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0od-Gtpj0sGNSTRVsBD0C9JkFLapBX7dt8

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

The theme for this online performance, “Stories Underground”, refers to the frozen ground this time of year and what lies dormant in the earth during the winter months.

How do you relate to keeping something inside until the time is ready to let it show?

What have you hidden, kept under wraps, or waited to reveal until the moment felt right?

What compels you to cry out when you can no longer keep what’s inside you to yourself?

Join me online this Thursday to explore these and other questions together.

Every playback show is a unique community-growing event that is shaped by who is in the room and what is shared. Let’s create something together. Register for free today!