Ravenous? Or just Plain Hungry

Let's Discuss

If you look up Ravenous in the dictionary, you'll find it means having extreme hunger.

Is anyone else dissatisfied with this definition? Think about the word. Ravenous sounds like it describes the hunger of rich people. It sounds like the hungry person had the capacity of checking his/her thesaurus to choose a clever adjective.

Now take Hungry. It's basal. It's carnal. It's unquenchable.

It's what I am.

What are you hungry for, Sal?

To my frustration, I get asked this frequently. Taking the typical meaning of the word, I am one who can never decide between dishes, and I end up losing my appetite just trying to scrutinise a menu. Now obviously we're interested in a more expansive view of Hunger. I'm talking real hunger. Hunger for power, success, beauty, happiness.

I want it so bad 

(i.e. so badly that I use improper grammar to stress my point)

There is one person in my life that I can perfectly imagine saying "What are you hungry for, Sal?" - he has asked me this regularly and has been consistently frustrated with my indecision. This person is my brother +auzzieizm . (real name: Mark). 

He is The Inquisition.

The Inquisition and Goofy

He asks me questions I have never considered; he gives me suggestions I wouldn't have dared investigate. With his prompting, the impossible seems possible. Once upon a time, Mark told me I ought to be one of the kids on Barney. It had never occurred to me that those kids were real people, that I could be one of those real people! Once upon a time, Mark came to all my performances (acting and dancing), and he endured the boring moments to finally see me become something other than a child fretting on a stage. 

He encouraged me to audition for things - to do what I loved. Why not join the U.S. touring company of Lés Miserablés? Why not pursue singing as a job rather than a hobby? 

Dirty Frenchwomen and Co.

with the ladies of the St. James Choir, Sydney. Photo courtesy of Chris Shain

Satisfaction

Satis (Lat.) - Enough

I love the English language, but somehow I love its Latin roots even more. Satis - where we get the word satisfaction, means "enough". Enough gives the impression that we're okay with what we have, but it includes a connotation of impatience. Since my first real tastes of musical theatre and singing work, I have hungered for more opportunities, to meet more people, to challenge myself. In other words, satisfaction for me is a transitory state.

Belligerent Gustation 

Bella (Lat.) - war ; Gustare (Lat.) - to taste

As long as I continue to strive towards greatness as a performer, I will be in a constant cycle of satisfaction and belligerent gustation (literally: aggressive tasting). Accomplishments are not finalities, but stepping stones. That being said, this obsessive cycle can be one's downfall. Let's look at history. Julius Caesar. Napoleon Bonaparte. Adolf Hitler. Need I say more?

These high achievers are extraordinary, but one can strongly argue they needed a bit of balance in their lives. Amidst my hunger for accomplishments, I must relent, give myself time to process my journey, and take a moment to find balance. For Lent, rather than giving up chocolates, desserts, tv, etc. I've decided to give up making negative comments towards myself and other people. I recognise my weakness lies in a warped self-assessment, and it needs to stop. For the next forty days? Yes. For the next forty years? Unlikely, but I'll try.

Go Sal! Here's a little clip of a Fosse routine we learned this week :)

Last but not least, and the news I am completely and utterly stoked about - I was chosen as the female representative of RWCMD for The Stephen Sondheim Society Student of the Year Competition. I am going ballistic. Firstly, I love Sondheim. I LOVE SONDHEIM. Secondly…. Adam Guettel is going to be a judge. I am hyperventilating. Does anybody have an inhaler?!?!

Love,

p.s. you can now subscribe to my blog - there should be an option on the right-hand side of the blog.