Dear Cinnamon is a new monthly column that believes that all of life's questions can be answered by art, because, after all, art is the spice of life. To submit your own anonymous questions, fill out this form.
Dear Cinnamon, Will I be the same person I am now after I become a father?
No, you won’t. There is going to be more poop in odd consistencies than you ever imagined and you’ll become one of those people who is fluent in baby screams meaning you’ll know what each pattern and pitch of a cry means. This shift will be seismic but that doesn’t mean that it’s bad. And it doesn’t mean that it will all be good, but amongst the sleepless nights and panic attacks, you’ll be able to revisit your own youth and imagination that died somewhere between college and catching a bus. I suggest you embrace the nostalgia, the newness, the novelty of childhood for this fleeting second glimpse and go see A Year with Frog & Toad at Chicago Children’s Theatre (running until May 26).
Not only will you remember the tales from your own bedtime story adventures but you’ll be reminded that change and our differences of paths and choices and fears is what brings the excitement and the unexpected to life. In a few years, you’ll be able to experience this love for art with your child, reinforcing the importance of creativity in all that we do. Also, never leave home without extra snacks, it’s scary out there when hunger is involved.
Dear Cinnamon, All of my friends are married. I am the only single one left and I am completely fine with that, but my friends are not. How do I convince them that I don’t need to be set up?
There are two ways to do this. You could go full rom-com and pretend your Uber driver is your date, but then you run the risk of them actually falling in love with you and ruining your plans for singleness, or you could go see Inanimate at Theater Wit (running until May 4) and force your friends to realize that love comes in all forms. Then maybe they will be so inspired or weirded out that they will leave you be and let you simply love a bed to yourself, freedom of only making yourself happy, and always getting the last candy-filled bite of a Blizzard.
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