I was
walking home from the cleaners one Saturday last month (before summer left town
for good) and as I headed down Charles Street, I saw a man on a bicycle.From a distance, he waved and I waved back.I had my cleaning slung over my right shoulder
so I walked especially upright to compensate for the load.Just as the gentleman passed me on his bike,
he yelled, “At ease, soldier,” causing us both to laugh.
I think
people have a sixth sense for picking out people who have served in the
military.Whether it’s the way we dress,
groom, talk or act, there is something people can discern and some people are
quick to acknowledge.When I see
military people today, I am inspired by their commitment to service and humbled
as a veteran, to be considered “part of the club.”
While we
shared a laugh with his street side command, the order, “at ease,” resonated on
a personal level in that we all need to take time to relax, assess and enjoy
where we are.Making “The Trouble withTQ” is a full-time job I’ve squeezed into my “spare time” since 2008.Every now and then, I needed to “come up for
air” and do things completely unrelated to the documentary and that sustained
me throughout the process.
Looking
back on where the project started and where it is now always brings that
Grateful Dead lyric, “What a long, strange trip it’s been” to mind.I never imagined the film would turn into
what it is now and the only reason any of that happened is that I kept pushing
it along.For all the planning I did,
what sustained the project was being open to new directions.Whether it was commissioning the paintings,
licensing the photos or experimental shots, being open to how they fit into the
film (as opposed to how I planned to use them in the film) allowed the overall
creative impact surpass the sum of those individual elements.
Finally,
enjoy where you are.This was a busy
week for the film; juggling event planning, DVD production details and a
tribute reel for TQ meant laser focus on those tasks.At dinner out last night, my wife started
talking about how successful I was and what she thought I deserved.Her words caused me to pause (“at ease”) and
take a moment to enjoy where I am with the film and where I am in life.To quote that gospel song, “My soul looks
back and wonders how I got over…”
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