Celebrating the Oscars

Tonight was the first night in my life that I have ever watched the Oscars. Ever. I have never felt that I missed out on anything because sitting at home alone watching the Oscars would have felt pathetic for me, the one who doesn't sit still for very long, but there was a formal party I was invited to. And it was a blast. Shockingly enough, while I was sitting watching everyone get awards for being the best of the best this year, I couldn't help but think that those awards are going to get dusty soon. Soon they will become simply statues sitting on a shelf with some memories of days gone by. We celebrate the "stars" in our lives in such a grand fashion, with shows and shiny trophies, beautiful dresses and terrible speeches, but we neglect those that we see every day. Not the extraordinary, but the extraordinary ordinary.

These are the people that we walk past most days and neglect to tell them how truly fantastic they are. The ones who make our lives run without us realizing it. There's Stan, who cleans the music building for us and always has a smile for all the students that cross his path; The incredible stage hands of Talbot Theatre who allow us to put on the productions that we sometimes seem to take for granted; The friends who are there with a cup of coffee and a hug when the day isn't going quite the way it should; The studio teachers who accept that some weeks we just didn't have enough time to practice; the administration who make sure our lives work the way we want them to, and when that fails, they are the ones who wave the magic wands and make our academic careers better. These are the people who deserve the awards in all of the fancy gowns and star studded places. So while we celebrate the Oscars, make fun of the dresses and tell people to finish talking and get off the stage, try and remember those in you rlife who deserve an award. The ones that don't look for a shiny trophy, but simple thank you. Take the time to give them an Oscar today.