Today is National Smile Day 😄, and I haven’t stopped smiling since seeing the Neil Diamond Musical, A Beautiful Noise last night. It did not disappoint.
But behind every smile over the past 24 hours, there have also been tears, personal struggles, and moments of reflection.
Since my mom’s passing in January, I have found myself a little obsessed with Neil Diamond. Maybe leaning on his music is part of my grieving and healing process. I’m not really sure.
A few months ago, after seeing the movie Song Sung Blue, I wrote a blog about how the very first concert I ever attended was with my mom when I was just ten years old. We went to see Neil Diamond, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since.
After watching Song Sung Blue, my obsession—or perhaps my healing journey, continued. I decided to introduce my kids to one of my favorite movies from childhood, The Jazz Singer, starring Neil Diamond. One out of three actually stayed until the end. That’s Gen Z’s for you! No appreciation for the classics… lol.
I’ve seen The Jazz Singer countless times before, but probably not in more than 35 years. The music was exactly as I remembered it, but the movie itself hit me in a completely different way this time around. I saw myself in the main character’s struggles, something I never would have understood before beginning my own mental health journey 12 years ago. Years of therapy, and with the help of my dedicated therapist have helped me recognize and come to terms with childhood trauma in ways I never thought possible.
A Beautiful Noise is structured around a series of present-day therapy sessions. An older Neil Diamond, reflecting on his retirement from performing, sits in his therapist’s office revisiting his catalog of lyrics. Those sessions trigger flashbacks as a younger Neil takes the audience through his life story, his early struggles, breakout success, and the personal and relationship sacrifices made along the path to global fame.
His music and his journey left me smiling, laughing, and crying all at once. More than once, I felt as though I was sitting in that therapist’s chair alongside him. In many ways, it felt incredibly healing.
Today, on the final day of May and Mental Health Awareness Month, I took both my smile and my tears on a grueling #SummerOfRich hike with Rich. Listening to the soundtrack from A Beautiful Noise all the way there. It was the perfect ending to an emotional, meaningful, and surprisingly healing weekend.
Because sometimes the strongest smiles aren’t the ones that hide our struggles, they’re the ones that survive them.
#abeautifulnoise #musical #neildiamond #mentalhealth #healing #obsession #nature #hiking #reflection #grief #nationalsmileday
YouAreEnough 