Art and nature

Yesterday was opening day of "Trip to Bountiful". Even after 5 previews, I was very nervous. I had the jitters upon waking and continued quaking late into the morning. Luckily, the weather here was glorious with clear skies, sun, and 60-70 degree warmth so, in some desperation about my nerves, I just walked into the back yard and sat on the grassy slope surrounded by shrubs and rose bushes and listened to the birds. This calmed me enough to go over my words and consider an unsolved and difficult passage in one particular scene. The words were there as they have been. I needn't have doubted that at all. So, I changed my pursuit to the contemplation of my worries. In that instant, it dawned on my that the major theme of the first half of the play is just that: worry. There are countless references to worry, nerves, aggression caused by the city and it's attendent competition.
Then, I thought about the second half of the play, when Carrie travels back to her home in pursuit of dignity, peace, calm. Another lightbulb went on as I sat in the middle of all that warmth and beauty and that is that the natural world is her salvation. It's influence offers her a profound change in her life. Indeed, without it, there would be no ending to the play.
So, I made the choice of using my nerves last night, however many continued or grew, and then using that very moment of peaceful discovery as my pursuit in the second half of the play. It worked! As the show progressed, my nerves left and the warmth which Carrie sought (and I had found yesterday) slowed her down and allowed the observations to really sink in of the whole experience of her "trip".
Now, all this might seem obvious and you might be right in thinking so. I, however, was in the thick of it yesterday with seemingly all unknowns around. To coin a phrase, I couldn't see "the woods for the trees". I'm happy and relieved to say that an intuition led me to my own backyard and allowed me to find the answers to my questions and fears were just over yonder in the newly bloomed Japanese iris and my lovely Westerland rose.