Day 111

Day 111: We’ve been talking about eyes this week, and since I used my peepers to see Hamilton last night, it seems fitting to share what I SAW with them. It’s just a musical, you may be thinking. I happen to enjoy a good musical, but Hamilton isn’t just a musical. From the opening notes to the last refrain, Hamilton has something to say.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is talented. He removed a chunk of American history from the “white men in knickers and white wigs” textbook and cracked it open for all to SEE. The characters are various ethnicities, which is genius, because at that point in American history, EVERYBODY was an immigrant. The only real Americans were Native Americans. Everybody else crashed the party. The multicultural cast is also genius because it gives the youth of today permission to identify with the characters, to feel a connection and claim it as their history. OUR history.

Another moment of genius is in the telling of Hamilton’s story. The man created our financial system and helped in forming the government of a brand-spanking-new country. His image appears on our currency, yet many (most) of us had not a clue who he was or what he did. Miranda threw a spotlight on Hamilton’s life and in doing so, made history cool. The masterful storytelling and compelling music intertwine into three hours of the most entertaining history lesson I’ve ever experienced.

Certain phrases, universal in their effect, poked at my emotions. Phrases like “Look around. Look around. There’s never been a better time to be alive right now,” and “Who will tell your story?” and “When America sings for you, will they know what you overcame? Will they know you rewrote the game? The world will never be the same,” and most especially “History is WATCHING.” How would you interpret that line? Does it refer to the people who came before Hamilton’s time? The people who laid the groundwork? Does it mean they were watching to see what he’d do with his shot? Or does it mean later generations look back for answers?

I think it’s both. Let me say the same thing to each of you: History is watching from both ends of your timeline. What will they see? #MomsCompanyTowels #Hamilton #linmanuelmiranda