We're All Innkeepers

Happy Holidays, Friends!

And just like that we're one day away from Christmas 2018. That means we're also one day plus a week away from 2019. It's become a tradition for me at the end of the year to write letters and blogs that draw some sort of parallel between our lives and this beloved holiday, and since I only have one other post to show for the past twelve months, here I am! Thanks for reading. :)

So, let's talk about this innkeeper guy... you may have heard of him. Mary and Joseph ride up to his inn, looking for a place to rest because Mary is super pregnant, and they've traveled all the way from Nazareth to pay their taxes. (Thanks, Caesar Augustus.)

Anyway, the inn is full, so the innkeeper sends them away, and we all cringe because you know that's the beginning of the worst Yelp review ever. At the same time, though, do we blame him? Isn't it supposed to be our goal to create something so popular, you sell out your inventory? Wasn't the innkeeper just an entrepreneur living by the capitalistic ideals of supply and demand?

I guess that's the reason why, with our very busy lives, I don't feel like using the innkeeper's story to "guiltify" us into taking on even more. Instead, I feel this story begs the question, "If our inns are full, what are they full of and why?"

If we operate our lives so completely sold out that we have no room for love, charity, or your run of the mill, life changing miracle, is it possible our "inns" might be emptier than we think?

What I'm trying to say is this year I found joy in making room as well as giving it away. I said "no" to a few things (maintaining a regularly updated blog, for example?), and that comes with consequences. But the good news is it made room for some stuff I tend to turn away, namely, "Creative Freedom, Conversation, and Community."

The even better news is this time of year has the magic to remind me how much room there can be, so there's no way I'd turn away the opportunity to share some love and say to each of you, "Thank you for making room for me."

With love, gratitude, and a few sugar cookies,

Jeffrey Scott Parsons

COMFY

One of the great dichotomies of modern life is...

 ...graduating from college with a performing arts degree, so you have to use words like "dichotomies" to make the degree feel worth it.

Kidding.

One of the true, great dichotomies of modern life is we're constantly being told and sold how to make our lives more comfortable while the most important moments in our lives remain anything but. Sounds like a good reason to tap dance, right? I thought so too. ;)

COMFY is a one man show I've created that, using all my favorite buzz words, is the most authentic, vulnerable, and rewarding project I've ever worked on. I'm not going to tell you specifically why because you gotta come to the show. Don't trust me? Here's a quote about my recent Los Angeles debut.

“Parsons is so sincere and so sweet and lovable that his time onstage is totally mesmerizing. Don’t miss him wherever he appears!” -Don Grigware, BroadwayWorld.com

Also, I sing and dance my butt off. Need more convincing? I'm now going to list a few other reasons why I'm proud of COMFY...

1. It is unlike any other cabaret show I've ever seen, using dance and multimedia in a fresh, new way.
2. It uses something very old school, like the "song and dance man" tradition I love so much, to explore the complexities of my very modern life.
3. It's funny!
4. It is written to be enjoyed by a diverse crowd of backgrounds, beliefs, and (gasp) political leanings, and by the end, I believe we all feel a lot closer.

I'm bringing the show to a town near you! Of course, I first gotta know where your towns might be... If you would like to see COMFY, drop me a line. I'll get my tap shoes there as soon as possible.

xoxo

JSP

(video by Mike Patton)