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Controlled Burn: A Review

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  Jeremy Fiebig invites us to set fire to our lives to clear the thick underbrush that bogs us down, thus enabling us to welcome new growth. It is in this clearing, this “thin” place where magic happens. Fiebig defines magic as “the moments of ineffable, ethereal, and often indescribable transformation that happen in all kinds of bodies as a result of Controlled burning, Bonfire Experiences, and The Work.” I was drawn to this book due to my own personal work I’ve been undertaking the past four years since retirement and the pandemic. Personally, I connected with Fiebig because we share experiences in the theater and in coaching. Controlled Burn is part autobiography, self-help workbook, and inspirational guide. By sharing some of his own trauma and history, Fiebig draws us in to understand the root of his transformational work. He speaks authentically from experience. He points out that his journey is not ours, but he writes, “something in my journey might kindle a flame for you.”
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Holding Off

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Improv is about being fully present to the moment. Sometimes the best way to live in the moment is to make plans for the future.  I have often found myself reluctant to make long-term plans. Some of my rational is that I am an ENFP on my Myer's Briggs Personality profile. That means I keep looking at options, sometimes waiting until an opportunity passes. Not making a decision, is making a decision. It also means I concentrate on the "what ifs." What if I make a non-refundable deposit and my situation changes? What if I change my mind or my living situation changes or a myriad other catastrophic options? So in order to be safe, I back down, I don't take the risk, I don't plan. Plans can't fall through if I don't make them, right? What I'm really doing is guarding myself and refusing to live now. I'm letting fear control how I live. Even though my plans are for something a year away, the effect is very real in the present moment. Rather, than saying
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Faith over Certainty

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 There are those who suggest that faith and spirituality provide answers. I myself used to subscribe to the John Maxwell school of ideology; life can be broken down into manageable steps. One can master the Four Leadership Steps, the Seven Ways to tap into your potential, or the Twenty-One Laws of Leadership. Just follow the rules (usually based on Scripture) and you will have control over your life. Ha! Life is always throwing us curve balls. No matter how much we like to think we are in control, life is unpredictable. That doesn't mean we go through life completely unprepared. There are certain skills and traits one can develop that actually help us live in community. Rather than rules we must adhere to, I see these as truths that enlighten us. The Ten Commandments, for example. Are they laws that demand punishment should we break them? Or are they karmic truths that say if you cheat your neighbor and treat people like property you will end up paying a price? A Rule of Life could
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Improvising in the Dark: How to "Yes, And" When it All Falls Apart

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  No matter what happens on stage, improvisers are called to keep the scene going.   If there is a flub, we can’t deny what happened. That means we can’t ignore it or explain it away. The flub now becomes part of our reality. The rule is, “deal with it and move on.” It’s the basis of “Yes, and.” Life off the stage is equally fraught with flubs, failures, disappointments, and disasters. It’s part of being human. We all experience failure. We all suffer pain and grief. Whether it’s pain of our own causing or from something out of our control, there is no escaping it. Nietzsche said, “to live is to suffer.” He also said, “to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism proclaim that life always involves suffering. Suffering comes from our desires, but one can put an end to suffering through practiced living. (This is a very inadequate summary of Buddhist thought, but it gives a rough idea.) Christian Scripture proclaims that, “perfect love casts
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Everything is Useful

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 Recently I drove over three hours to attend a workshop. It involved staying overnight in the host city and eating several meals out. My first thought as I was driving home was, "Well, that was a costly waste of time." That was not a new feeling. I was active in parish ministry for thirty-seven years. In that time I attended a lot of workshops, meetings, and seminars that I thought were a complete waste of time.  As an improviser, I immediately took that thought and turned it around. The workshop, although disappointing, was still an offer. What I did with that offer is my choice. I began to look at the positives of my six hour journey. First on my list was getting to know a new friend a little better. While in the host city I connected with a Facebook friend and we spent an enjoyable evening together over dinner. Second item I counted as a gift was going to a new restaurant and having an amazing meal. As for the workshop itself, instead of looking at the flaws in execution,
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How You Can Change Your Brain

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Life experiences have a physical affect on our brains. Not just the changing of our minds, but the very brain itself. This science is called Neuroplasticity . Neuroplasticity refers to the idea that the neuronal make-up of our brain can change in structure and connectedness. Coined by the neuroscientist Jerzy Konorski in 1948 and introduced even further back, under the term ‘neuronal plasticity,’ in the early 1900s by the father of modern neuroscience, Spanish neuroscientist Santiago Ramón, neuroplasticity goes against the belief that brains remain the same after a specific age.  Here are what a few have written about neuroplasticity: "Your brain is a relentless shape-shifter, constantly rewriting its own circuitry — and because your experiences are unique, so are the vast detailed patterns in your neural networks. Because they continue to change your whole life, your identity is a moving target; it never reaches an end point." David Eagleman, neuroscientist – The Brain: The
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Make Another Choice

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 One of my favorite improv games is "Make Another Choice." In this game a team is given suggestions for a scene. As the side coach, at any time during the scene I may ring a bell indicating an improviser needs to make another choice. It could be a verbal choice, or a physical choice. The point being that the line just given was not working. Perhaps the improviser was stuck in her or his head, or perhaps they were trying to move the funny or take over control. Often times the idea wasn't bad, it just wasn't strong enough. I find it great fun to watch an improviser scramble to come up with another idea. The process in itself is funny and the audience laughs along. It usually takes ringing the bell twice to get just the right response. It seems "the third time's the charm." Either the improviser has let go and opened their mind, or the audience anticipation has heightened, but most its likely a combination of both. Through trial and error, a better solution
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