NO DAY BUT TODAY!

Although Seasons of Love may undeniably be the most popular song from the musical, Rent!, "Another Day / No Day But Today" will always be my favorite sequence.

The other day, a friend of mine was lamenting about the end of a long-running relationship, the impossibility of rekindling it, and the realization that The-Other-Person is now happy with someone else. In between my friend's sniffles, we hilariously tried to assign a theme song to this particular episode. I said, we should play "Defying Gravity" (having been on Wicked track lately) to define this particular chapter: "And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free...," I sang laughing. We ended up guffawing when he countered, dead-pan, "Maybe I should start singing, 'I'm Not that Girl' instead." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! 'D

Still, through the brave front being put up over the phone line, I can sense the deep sadness and the deep sense of loss.

I told him, maybe we should assign a song from Rent! instead. He was not familiar with any of the songs, except for Seasons of Love (of course, hehe). I told him there was a particular song there that got me through MY dark episode.

To those not familiar with the play, Roger is a character who lost his long-time girlfriend April to AIDS. He's obviously hurting. He's actually the living version of dead.

Mimi is a stripper in the local nightclub. Not exactly living under the best of circumstances, she nonetheless refuses to let the dire straits of life get to her. Her (and their friends') stirring serenade to Roger defines the basic theme of the entire musical. There is no future. There is no past. There's no day but today. Presumably, therefore, one has to make it count.

I'm posting this blog to celebrate the countless "Mimis" in my life-- family and friends (male and female alike) who tirelessly coaxed me out of hiding, forcing me to go out, the entire time singing their own version of "No Day But Today" to "My-Then-Version-of-Roger". I thank them for singing to me over and over and over, in one form or another, until I found the strength to eventually sing the song with them AND to actually believe its message to be true. I thank them because they were instrumental in thawing out my frozen heart, enough to allow it to burn when I finally met the Hubby. =) Sorry, was that too sappy? Haha. It may very well be, but it's true. =D)

I'm also posting this blog as a shout-out to my friend whom I actually consider one of my "countless Mimis". May you come out of your "Roger" period with a stronger belief that, despite the current circumstances, the best is yet to come. You only need to force yourself (if need be) to open up to the infinite possibilities that every single day brings.

My turn now to play the song for you. =)