Today is my last day "at the office"

When I was in college, my acting professor hung this quote on his bulletin board outside of his office. I was intrigued and he caught me reading it one day. He asked if I’d like a copy of it and next class he gave me a photo copy of the newspaper article from the LA Times.

I guess you’d have to know my acting teacher to know that it’s not ridiculous to think that perhaps he knew that this would be a quote that I would frequently revisit in my career for inspiration and guidance.

It is incredibly easy to make the choice to be a performer when you’re 21 and clearly have no way of understanding all the sacrifices that have to be made before you can even DREAM of making it in this business. My entire life, I have thought that as long as I had my craft I would be happy. I’m finally reaching a place in my life where I’m realizing that the normal life will not belong to me (and if it does, it will be a VERY long time). The fear is starting to set in that I may never have those things.

Right now, that’s what I am struggling with. Everyone my age is getting married and starting families. They own things… like houses and cars. That’s not the life that I chose to live… (like I said it was an easier decision back when I thought it would never be anything I desired), but I find some hope in David Ackert’s quote because I think the last line is the truth.

I guess at least I’ve grown this much… to think, the part I used to relate to most was the section regarding rejection. Ha… Two years of auditioning in New York will get you used to that.

So here it is- what is, in my opinion, one of the best quotes about acting.

"Actors are some of the most driven, courageous people on the face of the earth. They deal with more day-to-day rejection in one year than most people do in a lifetime.

Every day, actors face the financial challenge of living a freelance lifestyle, the disrespect of people who think they should get "real" jobs, and their own fear that they’ll never work again.

Every day, they have to ignore the possibility that the vision they have dedicated their lives to is a pipe dream. With every role, they stretch themselves, emotionally and physically, risking criticism and judgment. With every passing year, many of them watch as the other people their age achieve the predictable milestones of normal life-the car, the family, the house, the nest egg.

But they stay true to their dream, in spite of the sacrifices. Why? Because actors are willing to give their entire lives to a moment—to that line, that laugh, that gesture, or that interpretation that will stir the audience’s soul. Actors are beings who have tasted life’s nectar in that crystal moment when they poured out their creative spirit and touched another’s heart.

In that instant, they were as close to magic, God, and perfection as anyone could ever be. And in their own hearts, they know that to dedicate oneself to that moment is worth a thousand lifetimes."

~David Ackert
LA Times

Not Gonna Cross The Line

A couple of years ago, I read a book called “The Year of Yes”. The basic premise of the book is that for an entire year, the author would say yes to everyone that asked her out. She dated everyone from plumbers to women. Many of my friends love this book. I was not a fan.

I have already had my year(s) of “yes” and do not intend to have another one. I frequently joke that I will not date anyone born above the Mason Dixon line. This is only a half-hearted joke, as the hopeless romantic in me can't help but believe that love has no rules; however, I do feel that men raised in the south (which is defined by the Mason Dixon line) have better manners and don’t feel quite as entitled as men raised in the north.

At a recent dinner party, my southern rule was discussed and most people were unaware of where exactly the Mason Dixon line fell…

That's What She Said

Love is patient, love is kind...

Usually, I like to keep my blogs funny and pleasant to read… but lately I've been thinking a lot about love and what exactly it is… and what it isn't...

When I first started thinking about this I was immediately reminded of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Now most of you know I'm not here to preach the gospel, but no matter how you slice it – this is what love is kiddies. No matter what your faith (or lack thereof) this is what it is.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves."-- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

As I read this… I thought about all the people and "friends" I have shared my life with that don't fit this "definition"… all the people in my life and a part of my past who haven't been kind to me, who have lied to me, who are easily angered and rude, and ABSOLUTELY keep record of the wrong things I've done. No one is perfect, but when a relationship can be defined as being the opposite of almost everything described above… what makes it so desirable?

We are limited to a certain number of days in this life. Those days are made up of a certain number of hours. What is it that makes me waste that valuable time on people who show me that they can't possibly really and truly love and care for my well-being? What is it about me that is incapable of cutting someone out of my life?

What Goes Around Comes Around

There once was a poor Scottish farmer named Fleming. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."

"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.

"Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.
"Yes," the farmer replied proudly.

"I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of." And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time?
Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name?
Sir Winston Churchill.