An introductory story, I think, is in order.\u00a0 I suppose it toots my own horn, but please bear with me.<\/p>\n
In early 2017, a family friend’s oldest son was becoming a bar mitzvah. \u00a0<\/em>I had been asked to be the photographer for the event – sanctuary pictures the Thursday before, but I could take video of the actual service provided the cameras were set up beforehand. \u00a0Also, being close friends of the family, my then-wife and I were asked to play a part in the service:\u00a0 we were to read a prayer for the world and the environment. \u00a0Nothing too elaborate; it was in English, not Hebrew, so there was really nothing to it. \u00a0She and I just had to figure out who was going to read what parts of the prayer. \u00a0I reviewed it, made my suggestions, and we quickly worked it out a few days before the service.<\/p>\n I learned public speaking from my pastor. \u00a0It was not a formal class or anything like that; I just noticed the patterns and mannerisms he used while delivering his sermons every Sunday. \u00a0How to hold your body, where to look, how to project without yelling, where to pause for greatest effect; these all were the lessons I came home with, possibly more so than the intended lessons of the various sermons.\u00a0 This is not to say that the sermons were not interesting or that they failed in their purpose; I still distinctly remember quite a few of them!\u00a0 But I absorbed much more than the spoken word.\u00a0 I absorbed a particular speaking style and manner of presentation – so much so that I am asked if I am a minister after people listen to me talk.\u00a0 And that speaking style is what I adopted and applied as I was reading a prayer in a Jewish synagogue twenty-five years later.<\/p>\n As we finished and were leaving the bimah, the rabbi made a comment that he needed to invite us back, as that was the only way they wanted that prayer read. \u00a0A friend sitting in the congregation said something to the effect of, “What did you expect would happen if you read it like that?” \u00a0And as the Torah was being recessed, an elder of the synagogue – who was a leader of a small theater company associated with the synagogue – commented to me that I should be on stage.<\/p>\n Should I be on stage? \u00a0I am horribly afraid of being teased. \u00a0I do not handle embarrassment well, and being teased leads straight into being embarrassed. \u00a0Anything I do or say or even think might lead to somebody embarrassing me. \u00a0And when I am embarrassed, my face turns the brightest shade of red. \u00a0I have stories of being teased into embarrassment. \u00a0Unfortunately, these stories are objectively funny; I can’t fault the people in them for their actions nor their retellings of the stories, which cause me almost as much embarrassment as the original story. \u00a0But those are stories for another time and possibly another place. \u00a0If you see me in person, ask of them, and I might tell you one.<\/p>\n Oddly enough, this fear of embarrassment is the reason why, not only should I be on the stage, I actually enjoy being on the stage. \u00a0This sounds almost backwards; if I dislike being embarrassed so much, then why should I put myself is a situation where I would be an easy target for teasing?\u00a0 For me, the stage is an embarrassment-proof zone.\u00a0 I am an actor, portraying a character. \u00a0The audience cannot tease me; they can only tease the character.<\/p>\n In some ways, I never leave the stage. \u00a0I can project as much self-confidence as needed by playing a character version of myself. \u00a0 Being on stage puts me in charge of the situation, and I can make an active decision about whether or not I play the fool.<\/p>\n I have been on stage in many different ways. \u00a0I have been a magician. \u00a0I have been a puppeteer. \u00a0I have been a Cub Scout leader. \u00a0I have been a traditional actor. \u00a0I have been an MC, played the fool, been in a marching band, and delivered poignant messages.\u00a0 Browse through the various stories here and enjoy – or don’t.\u00a0 I won’t suffer any embarrassment if you don’t like them, for they are my stories and my stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" An introductory story, I think, is in order.\u00a0 I suppose it toots my own horn, but please bear with me. In early 2017, a family friend’s oldest son was becoming a bar mitzvah. \u00a0I had been asked to be the photographer for the event – sanctuary pictures the Thursday before, but I could take video … <\/p>\n