18 Apr SPRING AWAKENING
HELLO FRIENDS!
I am a proud theatre kid.
My B.A. from the University of Guelph is a double major in Theatre and English. English was supposed to be my minor as I LOVE to write and read but because I took ALL the Shakespeare classes (“theatre nerd alert!”) I had enough courses for a double major.
In 1993 I was in a relatively unknown play at the time called Spring Awakening. It was a German Play from 1891 by Frank Wedekind, translated by Edward Bond, and it was leaps and bounds ahead of its years. A true coming-of-age story, that in our version was set in the 1800’s the time of the play but for our curtain call we came out to a very current song 90’s alternative song (that for the life of me, I can’t remember – fellow U of G alumni help!) and we rocked it out on stage. We even had on our tickets and on the back of our theatre t-shirts from the show, (remember theatre show t-shirts!) “Not recommended for children.” We thought we were so badass for that, and you know what, WE WERE!
Those fellow theatre kids out there know that in 2006 Spring Awakening was turned into a very successful Broadway musical with music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Slater launching the careers of Lea Michele, John Gallagher Jr., and my fave, Jonathan Groff.
Did our little show at the Inner Stage at the University of Guelph in April 1993 inspire that juggernaut of a Broadway show…
Probably not, but in my head, we absolutely did!
As we have entered into the Spring season, I am having a bit of my own Spring Awakening which has me reflecting on that play, and that time, THE 1990s!
The 90’s seem to be having a moment, the decade of focus right now that is influencing all the things.
The decade of the 90’s was a significant one for me:
- I graduated high school in 1991
- I graduated from University in 1995
- I started my career in 1997
A lot of HUGE life moments happened for me during that decade. I was recently asked to pick a song that represented the 90s to me and I was stumped.
It is hard to pick just one 90s song to represent it all for me as I went from high school dances to bars/clubs to commuting to work listening to music during that decade!
Although if I am FORCED to choose I would say the music that came from the 1991-1995 period, that I danced my butt off to at our favourite local bar, The Trash, would be where the majority of my 90s faves are from.
This recent ask led to me making an AMAZING 90s playlist for myself, a great journal prompt for some reflection and me thinking it is important enough to warrant a Blog Post!
Which also leads me to my “Spring Awakening.”
I tend to think in quarters, maybe a corporate curse, a remnant of my time in that world?!
My first quarter of the year (January to March) was BUSY. I had some work contracts, some community work commitments, and some health appointments (in my world every quarter has health appointments LOL!)
It was a high-anxiety period for me for a few reasons, some good, some not, but since my mental health is a significant part of my cancer journey I have accumulated some great resources, tools, and strategies over the last 9 years to help me through these periods.
An important thing that helped lead me to my recent Spring Awakening was that I had some key opportunities to tell my story to help others during the first quarter of the year.
These opportunity reignited the storyteller in me who has been lying dormant for the last little while. If I am honest, this is also when my theatre degree comes into play. Not because I am “acting” when I tell my story, far from it, I am being as real as I can be. But my training in theatre has given me the ability to be comfortable in the uncomfortable.
Which is still a work in progress for me all these years later. A comfort zone is a safe place and back in my theatre student years I always gravitated towards comedy versus drama as that felt safe. An insightful Theatre professor, Canadian Playwright Judith Thompson, called me out on that one day. She made me think about the “why” behind why I was more comfortable with the laugh than the tears.
(I didn’t realize it then but being a theatre student was my first step into therapy!)
Here we are 30+ (gulp!) years later and it is still something I am thinking about and working on. I probably always will be.
I have done enough work to know that being a Storyteller is something I was meant to be. Yet it has also been something I have been afraid to be for most of my life now. The more I do it, the more I realize the happiness, the pride, and the purpose it gives me. It is funny what you can find outside your comfort zone.
I want to lean into that Storyteller role more significantly in the second quarter of the year. With my blog, my forever “coming soon” podcast, and the reimagining of my Life Enthusiast Community newsletter.
In one of my community roles, I work on a newsletter that goes out to a large cancer community. It has been one of my greatest joys working on that newsletter. I want to curate a similar experience for my community.
If you haven’t signed up to receive it yet, now is the time, first issue is out!
My goal with this newsletter is to continue my Healthcare Advocacy/Storytelling Journey and bring resources, information, and inspiration to my Life Enthusiast Community.
I think what this Spring Awakening has remind me of: Magic happens outside our comfort zones.
I am ready for some magic this season, what about you?
"When you live from what's immediately comfortable, you miss out what's infinitely beautiful: what exists beyond what the limits appear to be."
Become part of my community and follow me on my Instagram @JAYEMBarrie for my POSTS, and REELS, or check out my website www.jayem.ca to stay informed on what I am doing and to sign up for my newsletter and/or updates. I am also on Substack and you can also find me on LinkedIn.
Share your questions or comments either in the comment box of my Instagram posts or in a DM.
Please note: I am not an expert or professional in the field of cancer. I am simply someone who has gone through it and living with it, doing my best to offer you my experience and advice in hopes that it helps.
Sending you good vibes always!
Love, Me 
