And all the men and women merely Players;

They have their Exits and their Entrances,

  And one man in his time playes many parts…

                                        -- Shakespeare, As You Like It

We are  all acting in a huge play, yet this play has no script. It is strictly  an improvisation. We make up the lines as we go along. We also can make  up our character as we go. Some days we play the villain, others the  lover. Some days we play a character consumed by anger and fear, other  days we are kind and considerate. Some days we play the stressed out  family member, other days the casual relaxed neighbor.

Perhaps if  we saw our daily actions and interactions simply as participation in  improv theater, we might become less mired in actions, reactions, habits  and attitudes. After all, in improvisational theater, while there is a  main theme to the play -- as there is in the play called "Life on Earth"  -- all actors are free to make up their role as they go along. Each  response from another actor can send the whole play careening in a new  direction, with all the other actors making up their responses as they  go along.

About The Author 

Marie T. Russell is the founder of InnerSelf Magazine (founded 1985). She also produced and hosted a weekly South Florida  radio show, Inner Power, in the 1990s which focused on themes such as  self-esteem, personal growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on  transformation and reconnecting with our own inner source of joy and  creativity. Marie currently is editor and publisher of InnerSelf.com