Sweet Chariot

Part of living simply to me means having the time, energy and resources available to do the things I think are valuable. Back in October I committed myself to a project, a major step of which has just recently completed. I thought I'd share a little about the experience.

In 2003, I thought it would be neat to create a play about mental illness and its effects on loved ones. I started interviews but failed to follow through. Life was not simple enough to pursue such an endeavor at the time. An opportunity showed up to recommit to that journey in 2010 so I took it. I asked 20 people about their experience with bipolar disorder. I did not ask people with a diagnosis - I asked friends and family of a loved one with a diagnosis. I think their perspective is unique and underrepresented so I thought it would be valuable to see what they had to share. I also think that a lot of the creative work that exists around bipolar disorder tends toward the first person narrative dramatizing the highs and the lows. I wanted to reframe the drama as merely an aspect of the illness rather than it being its totality.

I wove the narratives into play form and crafted sections addressing various components of life with the disorder. I interspersed opposing viewpoints with my own personal take on various matters. I included candid opinions and brought forth challenging angles hopefully to paint a more vivid and complete picture of something that might be very new to some people. The resulting piece, I called _Sweet Chariot._

Last night at ASU's Empty Space Theatre, _Sweet Chariot_ , with its 5 member ensemble cast, had a very successful staged reading. The theatre was packed (people were turned away) and the response was truly overwhelming. While I was still nervous to be reading my own voice in the work and nervous about how the piece might be received, I had earlier chosen to commit to the play being some type of contribution, however modest that might be. Giving up any attachment to the "success" of the piece made room for the piece to be "successful."

The most valuable token I got out of seeking the perspectives of others as it pertains to bipolar disorder is that I have an obligation to be responsible for the care of my health; for the care of my life because I don't exist in a vacuum. Being responsible for my own health and well being reminds me everyday that I am a contribution to the lives around me and in order to give my all, I have to be my all. Being my all has meant giving up my personal views on certain things, like taking medication (altering what's natural), in order to serve a greater purpose - that of being part of a community.