I know it when I see it onscreen. I can’t help but notice it when I’m near two people who have it. It’s palpable when I have it with someone else. And I’m not talking about that urge to jump into bed with someone. Although chemistry, I’m sure fuels that in all of us, in this case, I’m talking about that attraction at a molecular level that makes us feel more alive in another person’s presence.
Last night, decades after I graduated, I unexpectedly ran into my favorite teacher from college. It was like being struck by a lightning bolt. It was still there…that thing that made me love his acting class, that enthusiasm he ignited that fuels my passion for directing, that…chemistry.
So that got me thinking about being around people with whom I don’t have chemistry, those folks who don’t make me feel great, who don’t feed my enthusiasm, who suck the energy out of me. And I realized that when it’s a choice –when I can select the people I have around me– I’m going to indulge that feel-good junkie inside of me and go for the chemistry.
Who does that for you?
