Sometimes things come into your life at the moments when you need them the most. Since my freshman year of college, I have always turned to theater to help me through my hard times. Last year, I went to see the Broadway show “Finding Neverland” and it changed my life for the better. It may sound silly to say that about a Broadway show, but it truly came into my life just when I needed it and I am forever grateful.
June 27th, 2015 was the day that I first saw the show. This wasn’t just an ordinary day - it was the one year anniversary of my grandmother’s death. My grandmother was my world and I knew June 27th was going to be tough. I knew that I needed a distraction for that day. There were 29 Broadway shows that I could have chosen but something in my gut was drawing me towards “Finding Neverland”.
I woke up at 4:00 a.m., went into the city and sat on the rush line for two hours to get cheap tickets. I sat front row and cried my eyes out. I wasn’t even thinking about the sadness of the day as I sat there. The tears were out of amazement of how beautiful and purely magical the show was. Towards the end of the show I had a realization about why I was guided towards this particular show on this day. I felt like this show was a sign from my grandmother; A sign that she was alright and that she is always watching over me. I felt like it was a reminder from her that she will always be with me all I have to do is close my eyes and she’ll be there. I truly believe that what guided me towards “Finding Neverland” that day was my grandmother. She wanted to me to forget about the sadness of the day, and she knew that I needed strength and would find it through this show.
This past year has not been the easiest on me. I’ve been going through a lot with relapsing into old habits. I was looking for a “safe place” to escape the madness and I found it in “Finding Neverland”. Every time I was having a bad week, my first feeling would be wanting to go see the show because it was somewhere I could go to escape all of the craziness of life for three hours (even though that was definitely not the smartest for my poor wallet). Whenever I was sitting in the audience watching the show, all the bad feelings would suddenly disappear. I would come to the show with a lot on my mind and leave with a lighter load and a big smile. The show became my “Neverland”, the place where I could go to let all my cares drift away. I found so much happiness from just being at the show and seeing that incredible cast do what they love onstage.
“...and anyways, if something hurts, it’s because you love something enough to miss it when it’s gone.”
I’ll carry with me all of the amazing memories I’ve made in the past year through this show to keep me smiling on my worst days. I am so grateful to have crossed paths with this show and everyone in it. I will never forget it or the impact that it made on my life. This show was a sign from my grandmother and it helped me gain so much strength. For that, it will forever hold a special place in my heart. Until we meet again, Neverland. Thank you for the memories.
