It Is A Small World After All

Today’s topic in the spotlight is how it really is a small world after all.  The world of entertainment seems so massive at times, until you hope to not cross paths with someone you were involved with in your past.  Suddenly it doesn’t seem to matter what town you live in, or how you’ve chosen to be a part of the performing arts, because you are bound to run into someone you’ve been trying to avoid.  I have danced in New York, while on a brief stint at a school in Oklahoma and within Central Florida.  When I was raised on the east coast of Florida it was almost impossible to not cross paths with other performers that I had less than lovely experiences with.  There were only so many dance studios, theaters and stages to be involved with so I grew up knowing that seeing these negative Nelly’s was bound to happen.

While in Oklahoma everyone was telling me about another red-head from the same beach side town I grew up in that had just left the university.  I wasn’t surprised when I knew exactly who she was as her mother had been my tap teacher for a few years.  She was a lovely gal, so it didn’t bother me that everyone recapped the same conversations about her over and over.  When I returned to Orlando and started working in entertainment here I wasn’t shocked by any means to run into that same gal at work one day.  This is one of many experiences that reminded me how small the world of entertainment can really seem.

When the situation is as good as the one I just mentioned then you don’t mind running into performers from your past, but when it’s someone you’re trying to avoid it almost appears as if these people just don’t stop crossing your path.  Whether it’s a bad friend or someone from a past relationship it boggles my mind how they just won’t stop popping up sometimes.  You can try leaving the city that they are associated with and going to different performance locations, but they always seem to find their way back to where you might be.  I’m starting to think there has to be some form of scientific research that explains why this is.  Now my experiences come strictly from the world in which I have spent so much of my life.  However, I’m sure this theme runs true in areas outside of the performing arts.

Sometimes it makes me think if there is someone testing how we handle situations just for their own amusement.  I’ve chosen to decide that must be the reason behind this phenomenon and therefore try to handle the situations with tact, instead of my first instinct which includes flat tires, public humiliation, and the occasional influence of wildlife (you don’t even want to know).  The only person I have not encountered since parting ways with is my ex-husband and I know in the back of my head that it will happen one day.  We live in the same city, have parents who live only a few streets apart back home and even still share some mutual acquaintances.  The true test will be how I handle that situation and I’m sure I would be committed if I went with my first instinct.

Fate has a funny way of bringing people back into your life.  How do you handle seeing them when the opportunity presents itself?  I find keeping to my side of the stage is the respectful and adult thing to do, but not everyone else feels that way.  Onlookers can tell when someone is uncomfortable for a number of reasons, but it’s your choice to allow yourself to be uncomfortable or to outwardly display your confidence that you don’t care who else is in the room because you’re there for a purpose.  In my world you have to be professional and continue to work with those from your past whether you like it or not, so it’s all about how you choose to handle the situation.  Choose wisely as it is a reflection of who you have become.