The Circle of Life

I wept my way through the Lion King’s opening number. From the minute the theater lights dimmed and Raffiki opened her mouth to belt out that first note, my heart began vibrating up into my throat, tightening with the overwhelming desire to run towards the direction of the stage and burst into song. Giraffes, zebras, antelope, birds, elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, and cheetahs. The dancers were so graceful that through their movements, in an explosion of light and sound I saw all at once the true dwellers of the savanna, strong and proud. It was Beautiful.

Did you know that The Lion King movie opened in 1994, the same year that Nelson Mandela became President of South Africa? Lebo M, the South African singer, songwriter and composer was quoted in saying, “When Simba takes over Pride Land, to me is not an animation.” Lebo goes on to explain how the lyrical inspiration actually visualizes Mandela’s ascension to Presidency after twenty-seven years of imprisonment for fighting apartheid. WOW. That is Beautiful.

African music has always felt like a heartbeat to me. There are three different South African languages represented in the musical, Sesotho, Setswana and isiZulu. The drums call to each other and answer in waves, driving voices to resonating heights that depict the pride and passion of the struggle. Simply Beautiful.

There are so many beautiful things in the world, but I think that hope is one of the most beautiful sights, sounds and tastes in the world. When you have experienced the heavy hopelessness of constant darkness and fear there are really not enough words to describe the sensation of being lost. Not all of us can be Nelson Mandela, and sometimes it is almost too difficult just to make it through one day at work, at home, or at school. In the darkness Beauty can seem hard to find.

I want to be a real, living, breathing, straight-up kind of person. The kind of writer that doesn’t sugar-coat truths and weave illusions. To me, this means acknowledging that life isn’t always a bouquet of sweet-smelling roses. Unfortunately, like Simba discovers, “Hakuna Matata,” is not always applicable to reality. Some of my friends are struggling right now to choose a direction in their careers, make decisions about college, purchase a car, rent an apartment, navigate their marriages, fight illness and disease, raise their children, etc. These are real and legitimate problems that can be ugly, dark and daunting, Where is the Beauty here?

But beautiful things don’t always appear the way we want them to, (ie: sweeping down the aisle of a Broadway musical). To me, beauty is visible in the simple way we hope for more, the way we fight, the way we love and the way we live. Forgive me if I’m getting a bit existential, but watching a musical like the Lion King prods me to examine my own life and ask myself if I am fighting for something that I can be proud of. How do I recognize the Beauty in front of me?

Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I find myself bawling my eyes out in the dark trying not to wipe my nose on my favorite scarf and praying that nobody notices. Sometimes the Beauty of things overwhelms my senses before the rest of me catches up. And thats OKAY. My new goal is to be more aware of the little things that touch my heart, and open myself up to those emotions (even if it makes my heart ache a little). This seems to be a recurring theme for me for 2014, because I used to shut out emotion and pride myself on an award-winning poker face. Not anymore! Today I welcome the tears, the laughter and everything in between, because it reminds me of how grateful I am to be alive. Life, is Beautiful.

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“Lift your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will perish in like manner; But My salvation will last forever, and My righteousness will never fail.”  (Isaiah 51:6)