'Opening Doors' - Saving My Sanity?

Yesterday, I was having a bad day. I felt unwell and the weather was absolutely dreadful. My umbrella had an argument with the wind five minutes after I arrived into Sheffield so I gave that up as a bad job. There was nothing for it but to get soaked through and live with it. Needless to say, I was a little irritated. Until I wasn't.

I walk a rather odd route up to university, deliberately to avoid crowds and people. When I'm in a bit of a state, as I usually as when I get to Sheffield, the last thing I want to do is walk past people. I was getting lashed by the rain, crossing a road, when the song on my iPod changed.

'Opening Doors' from Merrily We Roll Along is one of my favourite songs of the moment. It has been ever since I saw the show last July. It helps that it comes towards the end of the show, allowing you to recover from what's come before. Coupled with 'Our Time', it allows Merrily to end on an almost happy note. Certainly always has the effect of spurring me on to work. I've never yet come away from this show without the desire to write. It's the jolt I need whenever I get that nagging feeling I'm not a good writer. It helps remind me that I am and how much hard work it takes to get other people to recognise that.

So there I am: soaked to the skin, on a fairly deserted street in Sheffield, with 'Opening Doors' blaring in my ears. What do I do? That's right. I start singing. Loudly. Because at that point I don't care who knows how crazy I am. What mattered most was getting me through that tortuous walk and reminding me that, just maybe, I can be a success after all. Not bad, Mr Sondheim. Not bad at all.