I’m sitting in a British Air business-class lounge at London’s Heathrow Airport, about to return to Los Angeles after an eight-day stay in Edinburgh, Scotland. Daveen and I were there, once again, to attend the annual Fringe Festival where hundreds of entertainers perform before thousands of theater goers. It is touted as being “one of the greatest celebrations of arts and culture on the planet.”

Daveen asked an Edinburgh taxi driver if August was the best month for business. To my surprise, he said, “No.  Traffic is so heavy that it takes a lot of time to get around.”  I imagine, with the throngs of people crowding the city, that he is correct.

My dad had discovered the Festival about forty years ago, before it became hugely popular. Daveen and I have been to the Fringe four or five times. Since most of the performances are an hour long, it is possible to attend four or five shows a day, and in. prior years we’ve always enjoyed most of the shows we’ve attended.

In the past, I’ve always picked the shows we’ll see based upon the reviews conveniently available in festival related newspapers distributed throughout Edinburgh. This time, alas, the reviews had migrated on-line. While that might seem like progress, I found it more difficult to navigate the multitude of information. Rather than make it easier to find which shows to see based on reviews, I found it nearly impossible.

Unfortunately, as a result, I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed only two of the more than twenty performances we attended. And the two best shows, including Nina Conti, an outstanding ventriloquist, were both on our final day and were both recommended by a friend.

As I’ve written before, whenever I’m asked if I am looking forward to a vacation, my answer is that I try to stay focused on the present moment, so I never really “look forward.”

Well, I now realize that in fact I was looking forward to Edinburgh  — how else could I have been so disappointed?

I’m remembering the closing line in a letter written to me more than sixty years ago.

“Dreams are extremely fragile outside the womb of the mind.”

To that I would add “Amen.”

Now I’m going to focus on USC football.  I’m dreaming that they will win the national championship this coming season.

Alan

The first Edinburgh Festival Fringe took place in 1947, when eight theater troupes arrived uninvited to perform alongside the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival. Their performances outside the official festival led to the creation of what is now known as the Fringe.

My blog was also born at the Edinburgh Fringe. In about 2015, I wrote the very first installment in my room at the Historic Bonham Hotel, where I was staying with family and friends.

The Fringe festival consists of just about every type of performance you can imagine plays, musicals, improv, circus, comedy acts, puppet shows, spoken word and street performers as well as numerous one-person shows. More than 3,000 acts are featured at venues throughout the city. They take place in every possible space that can hold an audience. They are performed in churches, bars, and vacant offices. Some of the performances are intimate, catering to a few dozen audience members. But the city is also dotted with large brightly colored tents that can hold thousands.

This year, in addition to the multitude of performances, “Oasis” (the rock band) has been performing in concert. Every hotel in the city is sold out, so I’m glad we made our reservation at the Sheraton Grand six months ago

Since many of the Fringe performances are only an hour long, I have seen as many as six performances in a single day even allowing time for meals. Today we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Bertie’s Proper Fish and Chips. Yes, we had the fish and chips, and they were delicious (as well as proper).

During the Fringe, the City, as well as the festival, draws people from all over. Our waitress at Bertie’s was an attentive young lady born near Austin, Texas, who is working her way around the world.

At the table next to ours Daveen struck up a conversation with a woman traveling alone. She said her husband prefers to avoid the crowds attending the fringe and prefers to stay at home.

Every day the papers print reviews of the various shows including lists of shows that shouldn’t be missed. I’m eager to begin reading all the reviews and lists of recommended shows so we can choose the shows we will go to see, starting tomorrow. With so many shows and so little time, it helps to have a plan.

I am especially looking forward to attending the Improv Musicals. In my experience these are an amazing showcase of creativity and talent. They are very entertaining and not to be missed.

But you never know what you will come upon. I saw a one-person show twenty-five years ago called Krishnan’s Dairy. In sixty-five brief minutes it was one of the best theatrical experiences of my life. I understand it is still playing in Australia. Maybe one day I’ll make a trip to see it again. It was truly unforgettable.

I’m looking forward to this week filled with theater and performances at the Fringe in Edinburgh.  Next week, I’ll let you know what I discover.

Alan

One of my challenges in having written a weekly blog for more than ten years is that it’s challenging not to repeat myself.  It’s one thing to find your niche and occupy it, but it’s quite another to access enough creativity to find a new blog topic after more than 500 straight weeks.

By “Finding Your Niche” I mean that every day we give ourselves an opportunity to discover and act upon our personal desires along with our natural inclinations and talents. For breakfast I prefer a fried egg, one slice of Canadian bacon (only 30 calories), and one slice of toast.  (Yes, with butter.)  Daveen enjoys a vegan something or other.  We each have a different “breakfast” niche. I stick to my preferences and she to hers and in that way, we are both satisfied.

It seems obvious to me that part of living a successful, joy-filled life is to find the niches we are not only best suited to, but that we also enjoy. When we give ourselves permission to pursue an endeavor we enjoy, we are giving ourselves permission to pursue happiness. And the more time we spend at an activity, such as in our employment or chosen field of work, the more important it becomes to enjoy what we are doing.

I was thinking about this yesterday evening, during a Hollywood Bowl performance of Jesus Christ, Superstar.  I was bored, which is unusual for me.  But one aspect of taking the convenient Hollywood Bowl bus meant that I couldn’t leave until the performance was over.  As the encores began, Daveen and I sprinted for the bus, only to find that the first was already filled. While we were inclined to leave as soon as possible, there was an obstacle to occupying our chosen niche and making a timely escape. That sometimes happens in life.

But when you find yourself in the wrong niche, you can readjust. If you are at the Hollywood Bowl simply wait an hour or two and then leave.

I knew a woman who held the same job, a job she hated, for twenty-five years. That seems a bit long to me to wait to find one’s niche, especially when the price paid is to live an unfulfilled life for so many years. But, my paternal grandfather was a piece-work tailor in the New York sweatshops during his entire career. I can only imagine what he might have done had he the opportunity to follow his chosen path.  Would he have remained a tailor? Might he have pursued carpentry or music?

So, for those of us with the ability to make free choices, I offer up these words of advice, to myself, and to you. While we all must experience some less than pleasant activities (because they are mandatory or in service to a greater good), if I’m going to be doing something (especially for any length of time), I hope to engage in activities that bring me joy. In short, I hope to find my niche and occupy it.

Like writing this blog.

Alan