A Beginning

It feels like I’m in the beginning of something. I don’t know how to explain it other than I feel a little aimless AND purposed, somehow. I’ve been in Atlanta almost exactly a year and a half. Acting has been my focus for at least a decade. My definition of creativity, and how I was going to pursue that, has been defined one way for a long time. I’m discovering how I fit in Atlanta and how my puzzle piece fits in an ever expanding image, with new pieces yet to be seen. When asked the question, If you could see into your future, would you? My answer is always, No. While the unknown is daunting (stress-inducing) and sometimes the cause of a psoriasis flare-up, I still prefer not knowing. Not out of fear, but out of possibility.

So that’s where I am right now - Walking through a dense fog and yet still keeping my eyes open for the clearing. The beginning of something. Stay tuned my friend - the funny part is thinking about beginnings and endings in the middle [of life]. I apologize for the delay on this post. I got distracted watching While You Were Sleeping. Can you blame me though? 🌥️

Something to Listen to

I recently watched the new movie Spirited on Apple TV+. My face was stuck in smile position the entire time. It’s silly, fun, heartfelt and hope-filled. It’s a redemption story. And even though are a bajillion trillion interpretations of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, there always seems to be room for one more. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack, especially the song Do A Little Good. Here are a few lyrics:

But even if you lost your way
You don't have to stay a lost cause
So can we do a little good?

There’s so much I could write about in those lyrics and the movie. The words seem simple and yet, changing how you live and think is a huge deal. It’s a big change. One concept in the movie is that there are some people on the earth who decidedly cannot and will not change - they’re referred to as Unredeemables - never to put others before themselves. It’s something to wonder about - the people in our lives that we see as unchangeable. Is that true? Have we stopped trying? When do you stop trying?

At the same time, some people who get tagged as good may have lived, at some point, in a way that would label them the opposite. This is a glimpse into the stream of consciousness that lives in my head a lot of the time. What I hope though, is that I always try to be the type of person who believes that it’s never too late for somebody to change; And to remember that none of us are all good or all bad. This movie isn’t complicated or trying to be something artsy, it’s just fun and i’m grateful for that.

🎩 Listen to the song here: https://youtu.be/HmnVT1ELokw

A Tradition

Traditions are important to me. Having roommates for all of my adult life, I really enjoy roommate traditions. Then, I have a few traditions I keep, the ones just for me. And having lived in different cities, I’ve had traditions based around place. Something that has brought me a lot of joy over the years is a group of friends I’ve known since college. One of the gals in that group, Meg, has been gracious enough to be my very loyal friend since high school. This group of ladies has loved me in a lot of creative and patient ways over the years. I’ve lived with five out of the six of them at one time or another. I moved to Chicago with two of them. And as far as Meg goes, she was my best friend in high school and we lived together freshman year of college (& joined the same sorority). I’m lucky to call them friends.

These girls sent me a glitter lava lamp during the pandemic; they’ve sent me birthday gifts and cards; and there’s never been a shortage of texts or calls, or video messages. Not too long ago, one of them had an ’80s high school reunion-themed murder mystery party that I wasn’t able to make it back for. The night of the party, they sent me a picture of a framed photo of me, photoshopped to look more 80s, with a Gone Too Soon Dedication. Sounds dark, but it made me feel loved and very much a part of the night. But, back to tradition!

Over the years, we’ve managed to do a Girl Trip. It tends to happen around February. We go to a cabin or lake house for about 48 hours and do a lot of nothing. We eat, do puzzles, watch movies, play games, talk and laugh a lot. There’s definitely the other side too though. When you’re that close with people for that long, if the friendships are deep, then someone is bound to get their feelings hurt or get in a disagreement. I will say that I’ve learned a lot from these women and I think we each have distinctive personalities, which I believe is a really good thing. We lasted this long and I don’t see that ever changing. That annual trip & those friendships are the massive something that I hold with the same reverence as I do tradition. Spending time with those ladies, on that trip (but really whenever we are together), is a big blessing and a tradition I hope we do into our old age.