I attended part two of my improv class this past Sunday. As homework from the first class, the instructor asked us to pick a character type, put together a costume, and participate in the class as that character. I decided to go as a fundamentalist preacher. It was an easy choice for me, being raised in the Midwest in a religious home, but the Californians found it a little disturbing. According to them, it wasn’t because I chose this character but because I was so good at playing the “hellfire and damnation” part. Apparently it made them uncomfortable.

I found this very interesting. I grew up with preachers like that being a normal part of my life. As a child, it was scary to think that I would burn in hell forever if I somehow failed to do what a vengeful God wanted me to do. So I tried very hard to do what was expected, but I was always doubtful of my success. After all, I wasn’t always kind to my younger siblings. I didn’t always obey my parents (jumping on the bed was too much fun!). And I was guilty of very strange and sinful thoughts – like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth did God look like a dinosaur?

I’m guessing that the people I am meeting in California did not grow up with such preachers as a normal part of their lives. Or maybe they did and are uncomfortable because they thought they left all that behind when they moved here. And then there I was in their improv class bringing up old memories.

Regardless of the reason, it was a challenging experience for me because I wasn’t intentionally trying to make anyone uncomfortable. It was just a character type that I am very familiar with and so could bring to the class without any difficulty (because I have come to terms with my childhood and found a loving experience of the Divine). So I made what I thought would be an “easy” choice. Surprise, surprise! Not so easy after all.

Have you ever made a choice because you thought it would be the easy way out? And then discovered that it was a lot harder than it initially appeared? How did you handle it? Did you back up and make another choice? Did you go ahead and tough it out? Or did you just stop and walk away? At one time or another, I’ve done all of those things. In this case, I chose to stay and tough it out because I was already in the class with the costume. If I wanted to stay in the class (and I did), I had to stick with what I had chosen.

All choices have consequences. Next time, I will pick a different character – something not so “easy” – and see how it goes. As long as I learn something, it’s all good. So in the end, I guess my bottom line choice is to choose to learn. How about you? Enjoy!