If you haven't heard, "Hamilton: An American Musical" is the latest obsession for many people around the globe. If you didn't know about this, then I'm severely disappointed in you. Anyway, thanks to this Broadway musical, I now have an oddly specific amount of knowledge concerning the ten dollar Founding Father, and his wife Eliza. Eliza Hamilton is indescribable, and in a good way. She interviewed the men that fought with her husband, raised money for the Washington Monument, spoke out against slavery, and established the first private orphanage in New York City (yes, I sang that). She out-lived so many people that she knew, that she loved, and she told the world their story. She helped their memory live on, and helped to carry out their legacy (what is a legacy?). Eliza Hamilton made me think.
When I die, will anyone remember me? What impact have I made on this world? Lin-Manuel Miranda states in "Hamilton" that a legacy is "planting seeds in a garden you never get to see." Sure, I'm only 19 (but my mind is older), and there's plenty of time for me to leave my mark on the world. But will anyone remember what I've done? Will anyone care? Who's going to tell my story?
Now, I know it's absolutely crazy to be thinking about this at nineteen, but if I don't think about it now, when will I? At this point in my life, I'm supposed to be thinking about a career, and figuring out a college major. The only problem is, I have no idea how I'm supposed to decide. There are cultures in this world that have (and possibly still do) seen their futures in the stars. They make decisions based on the alignment of stars, and I can't make a decision with a coin flip. How can some people look at the stars, and know who they're going to be? When I look at the stars all I can think about is how beautiful they look (I also wonder if there's a TARDIS traveling between them). Stars make me think of how vast this world is, and how I'm only a small part of it.
How do I become a bigger part? In theatre we're told there are no small parts, only small actors. Now, I know I'm short, but that hurts (kidding). When I was in theatre, I felt like I was making a name for myself, which is kind of hard in high school. It seemed as if everyone knew me in theatre. I could walk down the hallway, and multiple people knew exactly who I was. I may not have always known them, but it was… insanely indescribable to be so well known. Sure, theatre kids were only a small percent of the high school population, but you know what I'm getting at. Being so well known in the halls of Kickapoo High School made me feel as though I was on top of the world.
Real life isn't like high school, which my wallet is painfully aware of (paying bills isn’t fun. Don't grow up). Real life is scary, but I think it's worth it. Responsibilities aside, you get to have so many experiences as an adult. Meeting new people, going new places, and finding a way to live that suits you! The only rules you abide are the ones you set for yourself. Well, the laws have to be followed as well, but that’s besides the point. You get years upon years of being your own person, and you get to raise a generation that will keep this world going. You get to create your own legacy.
Creating your own legacy is… scary. I don't want to add fuel to the fire, and screw the world up even more. I mean, lets face it, this world is so overrun by hate that it's insane. I don’t want to add to the insanity. I want to help spread love, and acceptance, but I get labeled as a hippy instead. Being a hippy is alright with me, but I want something more for myself. I want to write like I'm running out of time, because I might be. I want to give people a voice, I want to help people. I want someone to tell my story, and I want that story to be worth telling.
Every story needs a beginning, and maybe this is mine. The Odyssey writer going on an odyssey of her own. It may not be as grand as Homer's poem, but I hope that it will be worth telling.
