The Stories We WEAVE
Yes, that’s a picture of a bunch of weaves pouring out of a discarded Happy Meal box! I encountered this tableau in the parking lot of a Walgreens in Tampa, FL. When my companion and I realized what we were seeing, we immediately thought “Something went down here!” Or perhaps “There’s a story to tell.” Then we spent an inordinate amount of time speculating on how these weaves ended up strewn across this parking space.
So many questions! Why were these treasures kept in a Happy Meal box? How did these assorted weaves come to be abandoned in such an untidy fashion? Why had no one decided to pick them back up? How many weaves can fit into a Happy Meal box? On and on….
Our enjoyment of this speculation highlighted the great joy found in using our imagination. Telling stories is fun, weaving storylines is a great adventure, and creating something is joyful. Every kindergarten kid with PlayDoh knows this instinctively. We sometimes lose playfulness and creativity along the way.
I love creating marching productions of all kinds, and feel so fortunate to have made my living this way for the past 27 years. Our activity allows us to know only have fun creating these shows, but we have the thrill of seeing them come to live!
Often when doing a clinic with a group I will stop and remind the director and staff that “We’re putting on a show! This is supposed to be fun!” It’s very easy to get drawn into the drama and stress of competition and the quest for excellence, but I recommend that you stop and step back and take a few minutes each rehearsal to marvel at the joy of creativity and imagination. This is what we’re REALLY doing!
In the spirit of imagination, I end with a list of the titles considered for this blog post. I hope you’ll share your own title ideas with me on Facebook or Instagram, and perhaps your suggestion of how this scene unfolded, using YOUR imagination!
Other possible titles for this post:
Weave got stories
Weaving on a jet plane
Weave just started the year
Weave only just begun
Weave gotta talk
Weave me alone
Seeing is b weaving
Oh what a tangled web we weave
Weave it to beaver
Tim Hinton
February 18, 2021
