“Come alive, come alive; go and light your light, let it burn so bright.” These words and so many more jumped out at me as I watched the movie The Greatest Showman. This movie and its powerful themes grabbed me and changed my outlook on life. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and go watch it! I became slightly obsessed with the movie after its release. I think I watched it no less than 10 times and listened to the soundtrack until my family was tired of it. I may or may not have written an eight-page essay describing the themes and how they resonated with me (I’ll spare you those pages).
I thought about my obsession with this movie. Why did it hit me so hard? Is there something in it I could use for my own life? What was I missing currently? Does anyone else feel this way? Is Hugh or Zac better in this movie? (Hugh in my humble opinion). These questions and more swirled in my brain.
Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes. Movies aren’t usually my source of inspiration; but, I can truly say I was inspired by The Greatest Showman to live a brighter life while stepping into my dreams and desires with confidence. I can also say I’ve been inspired by watching and allowing my daughters to reach for their own stars.
While my own show is important, in my current stage of parenting, my kids’ shows are equally if not more important. I want my kids to live their greatest show, no matter what that looks like. I want them to feel alive and light their lights for the world to see. I try to encourage them in whatever endeavors their very different brains decide is fun for that day. From running a summer acting camp to creating a Barbie spa, our house is full of “shows.”
My 10-year-old, Caroline, came to me last summer and told me she wanted to run an acting camp for neighborhood kids at my house. Did I mention this was during the SUMMER when the kids are ALWAYS home? Is there even enough coffee and wine for that? I hesitantly decided to let her go for it (my friends officially thought I jumped on the crazy train), not knowing how in the world this would turn out.
So, that is how I ended up with 10 kids at my house daily for four hours, singing, dancing, and running lines. Some may call this torture, but I called it unbelievable. First, all these kids were getting along, and second, I was enjoying watching them all. By the end of the week, Caroline put together an entire fabulous original show. The seats at our neighborhood clubhouse were filled with excited parents and friends on show day. As a grand finale, she made a $100 donation to her favorite charity, Hero Dog Rescue, with the camp profits, and they attended the show to accept the check! To say I was inspired by my daughter is an understatement. To note, we are now on our second year of running this camp and have doubled donation profits and added campers (prayers please).
I learned something about myself that week watching my daughter unabashedly go for it. I admired her courage, determination, and lack of self-doubt. My biggest life fear, one that sits so deep in my heart, is not going for it. The biggest risk in life is not risking. I don’t want to sit on the sidelines of my life and cheer others on in their dreams, but not go for mine. Like so many moms, it is much easier for me to help others than to help myself.
As a “Greatest Showman” mom, I not only have to encourage my kids to live out their greatest show, but I also must live out mine. We all know kids learn by example, and I want to be the example brave enough to go out on the high wire. I want to live my life “alive.” The definition of “alive” is alert, active, aware of and having interest and meaning. Being aware of who you are meant to be may be the single most important discovery you can make here on earth. And, teaching your kids this may be the most important act in your “greatest show.”
