One Year

There are a million little things that have been going through my head for the past few weeks. Actually, to be honest, off and on for the past year. But as time has passed on, it’s become more frequent. A year ago today, I was in San Francisco. I was with my best friend. I’d met some people who have come to be great friends in the past year. And I was waiting. Waiting for what I knew was a goodbye to the first national tour cast of American Idiot.

In a way, it was a goodbye to the show itself. I’ve seen the second national tour cast three times, but for me, it isn’t the same. The magic and joy I felt the original Broadway cast and the first national tour cast brought to the show I loved so much is no longer there. For some, I’m sure it is. And I’m glad it gets to continue on in its journey and to have new people experience it. But my time with the show has ended.

It’s funny how much this show has come to mean to me. Not just for the show itself, but for the experiences I had because of it. And the people it brought into my life. I’ve made friends I’d have never met otherwise, been places I’d probably have never gone, experienced music and theatre that would have escaped my radar….all because of American Idiot.

There are days when I’ll hanging out at home by myself, cleaning, or cooking, or watching TV and I’ll suddenly think of a friend that’s on the other side of the continent.  I’ll see something on the internet that reminds me of something a friend likes. I’ll be listening to something on the radio and someone will say something that makes me laugh….not because of what they said; but because it reminds me of something one of my Idiot friends said.

I woke up this morning with this on my phone.

Last year, when we were waiting for our trip to San Francisco, I started a countdown on my phone. When it was over, I left it up. I couldn’t bring myself to take it off (it’s been on two subsequent phones since the original). And this morning it was official. It’s been a year. And yes, that’s a picture of the cast of the first national tour in the background. I thought it was appropriate, no?

If I had my way about it, I’d stay home today. In the dark, with ice cream and Idiot cast recordings and mourn. Sadly, I have to go to work. But it won’t stop me from thinking about it all day. I’m grateful for my experiences. I’ve got a few more stories to tell. A few more inside jokes with my best friend. A lot more new friends.

It’s been a year, but Idiot, and the year I had with my new friends, my travels, and the first national tour, will be in my memory forever.