I checked gravity for you all last week...you're welcome!

Scene: Me, walking over 51st St., talking to my Mom on my cellphone about our respective days. She is telling me something, when suddenly my heel hits something on the pavement, wobbles and I am immediately on the ground, having executed an almost-absolutely brilliant stage fall, taking the brunt on my hip, travelling up the torso and not landing on my knees at all.  It would have been perfect, had I not instinctively stuck out my left hand and struck the heel of my palm...

Me (my cellphone has not left my ear):  Hold on a minute, Mom, I fell over.

Mom:  What? Fell over what?

Me:  I FELL OVER!! My heel hit something and I'm on the ground. (I start laughing, and realize there are several people trying to figure out if I need help or not..one hands me my fabulous wooly hat, which is on the wet sidewalk...) Thank you -- I'm ok... (they continue on their ways)

Mom:  (laughing) Are you ok!?

Me:  Yes, yes, I think so, let me just get up... (I stand...I can move everything and don't seem injured.) Ok... that was just weird...

Mom:  What =happened=!?

Me:  I don't know--we were talking, then I was on the ground!!   (We are continuing to laugh hysterically...)  Ok, so what were we talking about?

Mom:  (pause)... I have no idea...

Me:  Me neither... (more hysterical laughter...)

And...scene.

(And no, except for some soreness in my left hand where I hit it, I wasn't sore at all the next day!)

I Agree: Yes, Artists Matter...

The blog Everyday Opera posted a wonderful entry entitled "Why Artists Matter" this week.  I was inspired to share it on my own personal Facebook page, but I'll also share my comments here.

I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but I recently saw on thread on Facebook (on a page that didn't belong to one of my friends --it was in comments of a post that was economy-related that one of my friends had shared) a comment along the... lines of "art and artists don't do any real work and don't contribute, so they shouldn't even be considered (in whatever discussion...)..." I had neither the time nor the emotional energy to respond (and respond well!) at that time (and had not at hand my statistics about how much money the arts =does= bring into the economy--it's actually a lot!), and so left that person to the others there telling him he was an idiot, but it genuinely sorrows me that there are people that think the arts don't matter, because they do -- they matter to =all= of us.

We need music, theatre, dance, painting, sculpture, photography, poetry, literature, etc. to bring us beauty for our souls and something to reflect on and perhaps give us a mental or emotional "vacation" from the difficulties of daily life and to give people "excuses" to feel emotions they might normally not think they could or "should" feel. I don't know of a civilization that's has recorded any history or left any evidence of themselves that hasn't left behind traces of artwork or decorative metal-working or music or -something-. I believe it's fundamental in our natures to want to create, and it is integral to our beings to do so and to support others in their creations.

If you've already read this far, I challenge everyone out there to go out and experience something artistic that you normally might not have by the end of this month. (That gives you 15 whole days!) Go to an art exhibit or a chamber music concert or the symphony or a dance recital, or even just youtube something you might not ordinarily look at if you are snowbound and can't get out! Go do something to support the arts... thank you.