What is being performed?
LA: I know a proverb but it comes with a story.
AA: What’s the proverb?
LA: The proverb is this too shall pass, but it comes from a long story.
AA: What’s the story?
LA: I think basically this king is on a journey to find a ring that could make a happy man sad and
a sad man happy. The king eventually finds a ring with the words “this too shall pass” engraved
on the inside. It’s supposed to remind people that bad things come to an end but that also so do
good things.

Why do they know or like this piece? where/who did they learn it from? What does it mean to
them?
AA: Why do you like this story?
LA: It reminds me to not sweat over the small stuff because it all goes away but to also live in
the moment.
AA: Wow. Where did you learn this from?
LA: I heard it from my grandmother when I was in my 20s.
AA: And where is your grandmother from?
LA: Arcadia Louisiana

Context of the performance- where do you perform it? History?
AA: Do you ever share this story?
LA: I try to pass it on to my children and live my life by it.
10

Reflection
My mother told me the story of “this too shall pass” for the first time when I was in middle school.
It is a story that has stuck with me for my whole life. The version I remember had to do with King
Solomon but nevertheless he was searching for a ring that would accomplish two things. I think
it’s one of the most profound stories and I try to live my life by it.