Hi, Briana Here! (The Life Breath Coach is my Mom)
How was your holiday?
I spent the 4th in Volcano Village where I grew up.
With familiar faces all around me, it seemed strange to find myself in need of natural remedies for anxiety!
My whole family headed up the mountain early to meet the cast of Cinderella in the parking lot next to the post office.
Many of the familiar faces have been doing musicals with the Kilauea Drama Entertainment Network for as long and longer than we have!
This year will be my 8th summer musical!
I always love the parade!
Each year the whole cast walks the parade together with matching t-shirts singing a few songs from the performance we will give just a few short days later.
This year we have a little extra time. Opening night isn’t until next Friday. That’s a good thing, since there is still so much to do!
The Volcano Village Fourth of July Parade is the biggest event of the year for the tiny little town just outside Volcano’s National Park.
This year the food and festivities weren’t as great as usual, but I still managed to have that moment of true 4th of July spirit.
I suppose you might think that means patriotism, but growing up on the Big Island I’ve always thought of the main land as a foreign country.
I always knew it wasn’t, but it sure did feel like it.
When I say “that moment of true 4th of July spirit” I’m referring to a sense of awesome community. The close knit relationships that develop in the close quarters back stage changing costumes, whispering and waiting in the wings for our cue become very much like family.
In the past I’ve been cast with the chorus or a part that had no individual singing.
This year I got a little more visibility as half of one of the two lead dance couples.
There is a point where the four of us sing together. JUST the four of us! I gotta admit, it’s nerve wracking.
I’m a dancer not a singer!
Maybe the anxiety I felt at the start of the parade had something to do with that!
While marching this year I was slightly terrified.
I just felt so vulnerable. When you sing on stage the sound is trapped in the theatre. (It’s only a theater when you go to the movies =D) But in this year’s parade I felt like my singing went on forever until it was just a whisper.
On stage the sound waves from the cast of 30-40 singers bounce back at you. You hear the music. But marching in the parade, all you can hear is your own voice. You are on your own!
I have many years of theatre experience, but singing solo still makes me very nervous!
I felt so alone for a moment in that parade. But I looked around and saw that I was surrounded by all those amazing people … singing their hearts out trying to be heard over the chatter and music coming from groups ahead and behind us.
It was a lovely moment. That feeling of being One Voice, but at the same time Safe and Secure.
That was my moment of true forth of July spirit!
My mom is the Life Breath Coach here at Heart Failure Solutions. She teaches a lot of things around breathing and stillness that I have a hard time understanding, but I really get what she says about community:
“In order to thrive in life or heal from disease you need to feel safe and supported.”
If you are struggling through your days, download my mom’s free ebook and check out her advice to feel better fast. I’ve seen her help so many people.
Her advice on natural remedies for anxiety are a lot safer than the drugs your doctor will give you. Take action on what you learn, because like Mom says, “If you don’t use it, it can’t change your life.”
DFTBA (Don’t Forget To Be Awesome),
Briana Tucker-Archie
“Just a Girl”