Over the last month, I have used my facebook feed as an opportunity to write short letters to myself explaining why today is going to be a good day. You may have seen them and wondered why I was writing them, maybe you thought it was weird, or it's possible you skimmed over it because YOU KNOW I am a weird/awkward dude. Nonetheless, it has a purpose and it here it is.
About a month ago, my wife and I sat at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC) to witness a production of "Dear Evan Hansen." Dear Evan Hansen is a show that follows a teenager who deals with social anxiety. Evan Hansen battles loneliness, not feeling good enough, thoughts of suicide, and the pitfalls of a broken home. He is encouraged to visit a therapist who asks Evan Hansen to write letters to himself to detail what will be good about each day. In the midst of this, Hansen's mom encourages him to make friends by asking people to sign his cast, which was earned during a failed suicide attempt when Evan Hansen jumped from a tree. Long story, short - a boy named Connor, an outcast, signs Hansen's cast, steals one of his letters, and commits suicide. Connor's parents believe Evan Hansen to be a friend of Connor's that they never knew about due to finding the letter. Hansen, instead of setting the record straight, begins to lie about his and Connor's relationship. The thought of being accepted and having a relationship with Connor's sister, Zoe, leads him to lie and cover up lies... When the truth finally comes out, it leads to healing with his mom realizing that neither of them are alone and that together they could survive through honesty with one another. Evan Hansen reconciles with Zoe and realizes that even though deception was the wrong way to go about honoring Connor's life - He was able to make an impact in the community and on a hurting family when the apple orchard is opened again in Connor's memory. This leads to Evan Hansen's final letter:
Dear Evan Hansen,
Today is going to be a good day. And here's why: because today, today at least you're you and that's enough.
WHOA! That is a lot to take in. Through the tears rolling down my face as I watched this show unfold, I realized how real the themes of this show are compared to the world we are living in. Everyday people are struggling with the same thing - loneliness, not feeling good enough, broken homes, lies/deceptions... we could go on. So, the next day I decided I would take this show and use my public social media platform as a way to create a positive space. It has challenged me to look at each day in a positive light, even if at face value it does not seem very positive.
If you're reading this - I would encourage you to create letters to yourself and shed positive light in our dark world. Everyday is going to be a good day, if we look at it in a positive light.
How will you choose to look at each day? Will you look for the positive in every situation or the negative?
This is the beginning of a series of blog posts that will discuss themes that were found in that show, particularly suicide. I hope you will join me on this journey as we have a difficult conversation.
Andrew Thompson is the Youth Minister at Lebanon Road Church of Christ in Nashville, TN. He is married to the beautiful Joy Thompson (who is way out of his league!) and have the BEST SON IN THE WORLD, Henderson. They enjoy sharing life together, ministering to teens and families, Alabama football (Roll Tide!), and musical theatre. Andrew is a proud supporter of sarcasm and dry sense of humors. Thank you for reading!
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