Pen Pals

Today I wrote a letter I'd like to share with you.

Shout out to #TheInklings for nurturing the space,
and time, and kindness to pen this.

#youareloved

Dear Past Me,

Hello

It’s been a while. You’ve been away from us. Or we’ve been away from you?

I look at photos and wonder “who are those young people? Do they know they look scared? And full of joy at the same time?”

If I were to give you some advice years ago, I think I would start with this:

There will be times when you have no idea how

There will be times when you can’t see a path

But

The things that must be

The Lord will make a way

There will be bumps along the road.

There will be wrong turns, and sometimes the pavement will crack.

There will be “recalculating.”

Sometimes the trail you traveled before will be overgrown and look unfamiliar.

Sometimes you won’t be able to see the next step through the tears.

Lean in.

Sometimes you will need to pause, and heal.

Sometimes you won’t have a choice but to press forward,

Lifting your foot and praying the ground will come up to meet you.

To keep your legs moving so you don’t trip and fall.

Sometimes you will crawl or be carried, when all you want to do is sit and weep.

To hide and/or sleep.

To you I say:

Sometimes it’s okay.

Sometimes it’s not okay.

Listen deeply to discern which is which.

Sometimes the answer is a shout

Sometimes the answer is in the silence,

The light, the art, the wind, the soil, the song, the soul.

I wish I could tell you all the answers,

But I’m still learning, too.

And though, I know, sometimes We hate this answer,

We’ll have to wait and see.

But,

I’m glad that I’ll be with you, I’ll bring you along

When we get to walk into Eternity.

I’m glad that, even as the minutes, days, weeks, years count on and upward,

You’re always with me, and I am with you, whether you know me, yet, or not.

To you, to me, to us.

Learning to love you and listen to you better,

Present and Future Me

Creating and COVID 19: How's Your Spring 2020?

So...

I've been released from production contracts (for reasons of protecting ours and our Neighbors' safety, with I 100% support) from Friday, March 13th (that's right, Friday the 13th) until September.

I know my situation is not unique as millions of people around the country and even more around the world commit to social distancing and shelter-in-place orders are set in place to try to manage the spread of the Coronavirus.

I have a lot of time... to figure out how to spend that time...

Some days are easy--"I'm working from home like I usually would outside of rehearsals..."

Some days are... not--"This is all so BIG..."

So, I'm practicing checking in with myself (as well as others).

How am I today?
How am I right now?
How are you?

I am grateful,

And

It is hard to process the gravitas of this global crisis.

And

That's okay.

I hope that you are healthy and have what you need.

If you're an essential worker, THANK YOU.

If you've lost/are continuing to lose income, I HOPE RELIEF COMES TO YOU.

If you're structure has been shaken and you feel lost, I AFFIRM YOUR VALUE OF BEING YOU.

And if you're like me, and you need to be reminded of all these things when your mind spirals and gets swallowed by the gravitas, let me remind us

To

BREATHE.

If you can support essential businesses, please do.

If you need help, please ask.

You are loved. We are Neighbors.

Be gentle with yourselves, especially during this time.

Also, stay home stay home stay home whenever you can and Wash. Your. Hands.

Taking a Moment to Breathe...

Hey All Hey!

I hope all is well and/or you are seeking and finding the support, rest, motivation you need.

I'm working with a wonderful team, getting ready to open (THIS WEEKEND!!) the Chicago premier of THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR SHOW at Chicago Children's Theatre (link for show info).

While I have a moment, I'd like to share with you a new poem.

Grief Doesn't Expire

I am grateful,

I am healing,

I am hurting,

I trust in process,

and I acknowledge

the pain of missing your dear hearts

          is a non-perishable item,

even when it exists with joy.

Be kind to yourself as you heal. Some days are easier than others. That's okay.

#youareloved

In Real Life...

Today
I spent the morning
Meeting with
Three
Amazing
Humans,
All in the same room at the same time,
To continue the journey
Of bringing something I wrote to life.

Honored/Grateful/Excited/Terrified
feelingallthefeelings

Team,
Thanks for saying "yes".

Time/Occupation
Do what matters
Or
It won’t matter

Time Traveling Poet

This SciFi lover has been doing some time travel.

I found this poem I wrote in an old 'zine. Enjoy!

May your day be restful and/or productive!

loved, loving and alert #youareloved

Seven and a half Years Later...

She remembers she has a blog.

Wow. Fam. Friends.

So much L.I.F.E. has happened, that instead of trying to give you a summary, I'm just going to jump right into the now, and fill in context as is necessary.

I'm grateful to
A) be alive (praise the Lord),
B) be acting full-time (check out for all the ways you can follow my career), and
C) continue my first foray into independent film/web series making.
(Among'st many other wonderful life-things!)

That's right! This DarkNLovely is combining her skills of poetry, playwrighting, screenwriting, acting, producing, and theatre admin work to create and star in my first web series!

I'm honored and excited about the team that's coming together to bring this original comedy series to life for you. I'll share more details soon, but in the meantime, since it's inspired by a book of poems I wrote, (The Distancia/Imbraccium Poems), here are some nuggets to carry us all through the weekend:

To My Dear Family and Friends
Thank you for sharing your hearts with me
While mine has been breaking
And reshaping itself.
Thank you for picking up the pieces
Too small for me to see
And too big for me to lift alone.
Thank you for being precious.
You are precious to me.

Remember Life
We will
Drown in sorrow
If we forget
To dream
And love

Breathe. Live. Love.

Every 12 months or so....

I remember I have a blog. And I like to write stuff...

More to come...probably later this evening...