Work smart
As I rehearse Amélie, my world reflects on some of the dearest pieces of our heroine’s journey. I play Amélie’s mama, and my character presents an obstacle to her ability to connect with the world. She teaches Amélie that no two objects, including humans, can ever touch. I imagine that this mama struggled deeply with her ability to connect, and of course, how would she pass on a sense of trust in the world if she had never had any of it herself? This I understand to my core. And so, these struggles and obstacles perpetuate. But are they obstacles or opportunities?
Work it
Why the two unsuspecting cucumbers above?
Those are photos from my garden. It’s fenced because while we ADORE the sweet deer—there are now two babies visiting us with their gorgeous mama—they ADORE our garden—for snacks. We’ve never grown cucumbers, so it surprised us when that cucumber appeared—the one in the photo on the right. It had found its way through the fence. It had curled around and through. What a spectacular journey! I imagine it—each day—moment by moment, found its way to fruition. And this little cuke story seems to be Amélie’s story, too.
No matter the obstacle, growth will attempt to find a way.
Make it work
I have always loved Tim Gunn’s motto from Project Runway, “Make it work!” The cucumber does it, Amélie does it, and my friends Pearl Outlaw, and Rebecca Kilgore are doing it. Pearl is a colleague of mine in the world of audio description. We collaborated with a-wol dance collective aerial without limits this summer. She is now on the first-ever Para Coastal Rowing Team. She has been rowing with Team USA since 2017 and is raising funds to support her ongoing training in this nascent sport. You can follow her on Instagram @pearl_outlaw. You will love every minute of this young woman’s journey to the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles. Support it here.
Whistle while you work
My friend, the brilliant jazz vocalist Rebecca Kilgore, battling Lewy Body Dementia, is releasing a new album as I write. It’s called A Little Taste; a tribute to Dave Frishberg, and the title cut is spectacular. If you’d like to support Becky on her health journey, you can do so here or subscribe for news as each single is released. I have had the absolute joy of working with Dave and Becky. Just wow. Becky is a musical treasure, and this album needs support to grow through the fence, not to mention it’s Becky’s 75th birthday this week.