Momentous

Please watch this speech.

With all politics and partisanship aside, I, as an American that believes in truth and equality, urge you to listen to his words. It will move and inspire both tears and action.

It's 38 minutes long. But definitely a good substitute to your regular viewing of "Flava of Love"...... right?

For full text and video, go to http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hisownwords/

Philadelphia, PA | March 18, 2008
"A More Perfect Union"

What do you think of his message?

Do you believe in the actual power of words? And, can/will they instigate action/change?

Will this a speech, as many pundits have said, "... be published in textbooks....alongside the Gettysburg Address and Dr. King's 'I Have A Dream' speech..."?

Health

A couple nights ago, Heather and I had a funny prayer moment.

During our prayer, Heather gave thanks for "the health we all enjoy", then immediately proceeded to ask,

"...bless Cole, that his cough will go away, so he can sleep..."

"...bless Matt, that his cold can get better..."

"...bless Margaret, that her eye(a nasty stye) will heal..."

I irreverently laughed, inside, for the rest of her prayer. It was a very telling moment of the gratitude Heather carries in her heart.

Yes, although we have things that ail us, and we are all very slowly falling apart, we are very, very healthy in so many ways.

And that is truly something to enjoy!

Aiutami

Risk is everything
Without risk there is no drama
Without drama there is no "aiutami"
Without asking for help
No love, no love
- the Light in the Piazza -
Adam Guettel
2005

Aiutami!!!

That is the cry....."Help me!" in Italian. The passage is from one of the greatest musicals ever produced. These words have been in my head all day.

I'm sitting here at my job in the law firm, providing support for my family......gratefully. I'm sitting here at my day job in the law firm......longing to not be here. I'm sitting here at my job in the law firm......aching to feel creative.

Aiutami!!!

One of my fellow legal secretaries is out for the day. They placed a 'floater' in her stead. She 's knew. She's nice. She's a middle-aged, beautiful Greek woman named Evangelia. I didn't talk to her much of the morning as I stared blankly at my computer screen hoping to find a mental escape somewhere on the net.

Then she asked me, "So....are you an actor?"

"Yep", I responded flatly.
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pause
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"What makes you ask?", said my ego-driven, prodding self.

"It's because you have such great teeth.......nice smile......an actor's smile", she said.

"Thanks", I said perking up a bit.

Now she had my attention. I know it's terrible. But I needed something, today, to drag me out of my self-loathing doldrum.

After conversing for a while, I learned that she is an opera singer turned actress. Not only that, she has been on Broadway in three productions. Three of the greatest in the last 10 yrs. Baz Lurhmann's La Boheme, Coram Boy, and The Light in the Piazza.

In adoration, I showered her with questions about her experience in 'Piazza', how she got where she did, and what her future plans were. She said she has been very blessed, but has to pay the bills like everyone else. So, she took a 'floater' job at my law firm.

Aiutami!!!

The entire scenario made me very sad. Here is a beautiful, close-to-retirement, talented artist, that really 'made it' to the major leagues of our profession. And that profession dumped her out into the gutters of unemployment.

Yes, she now has a good job, completely unrelated to the theatre. And I'm sure she is grateful for it. But aren't there guarantees? Aren't there entitlements? Isn't she deserving of a life doing what she loves and is best at?

Aiutami!!!

I know I'm really just starting out on my journey, even 15 yrs. into it. But I pray that I will eventually be able to solely do what I am passionate about.

For now, in my pursuit, I am a slave to survival. And thank goodness....I am not content.

This is wanting something,

this is reaching for it,
This is wishing that a moment would arrive.
This is taking chances,
this is almost touching,
what the beauty is.
- the Light in the Piazza -
Adam Guettel
2005

Anomaly

As Spring approaches and the weather turns brighter, many people get the jogging 'bug' or 'fever'. They lace up the running shoes and hit the trails. They set goals of weight loss, distance, or time. They dream of finally running that 10K, triathlon, or marathon come summer/fall.

Last summer/fall, when I was training for my marathon, I was told that once I complete my first marathon, I would have the 'bug' to run more. I followed the rigorous training program, which should have established healthy, desirable habits. I completed the race faster than I anticipated and enjoyed the race experience. But guess what, it's been 5 months since I ran my marathon, and I am still 'bug' free. I have absolutely no desire to run another race, or even jog for enjoyment.

Mile 25

I don't like running. I abhor the training. I hate the way you have to schedule your life around your mileage. And, to top it off, I GAINED about 25 lbs. You're supposed to get skinny when you run 20-30 miles a week.

The "run a marathon" box on my life-list has been checked, and I'm moving on. I will probably run a few miles here and there for health reasons, but never again will I train for a big race.

Am I alone in my apathy? Am I a bad person for feeling this way? Am I the marathon running anomaly? Please let me know that it's ok to hate something that you shouldn't.

HIGHLIGHT

My daughter, Margaret, loves to talk. She loves to pontificate on the details of every event in her life. She pretty much does the same things every day - morning shows, pre-school, play ground, meals, and bedtime.

Since I don't see my kids all day long, when I get home, I try my best to take time and ask them how their day went.

From Cole, I usually get a very LOUD and fast couple sentences that have something to do with dinosaurs, horsies, or trucks. He delivers it with such breathless urgency that it sounds like he just finished a world-record 100 meter dash.













From Margaret, I get a minute by minute, friend by friend, activity by activity account of the entire day. With her commentary added in, it can take quite a while to get it out.

Recently, I tried to put a healthy 'boundary' on her description of the day. I asked her to share the HIGHLIGHT of her day. She didn't quite get what I meant. I defined, and she delivered.....after much thought. She likes boundaries, and I like brevity(although I don't use it). It's a win-win.

Since then, her favorite word is HIGHLIGHT. "Daddy, you're home.....what was the HIGHTLIGHT of your day?", or "well....I played at Petra's house for a while, and the HIGHLIGHT was when....". It's quite amusing to watch her little head realize she is using a grown-up word, and see her filled with pride as she emphasizes her new found vocabulary.

Last night, I came home around 10 pm, and had not seen the kids all day. Mom and the kids were asleep. I peeked my head in the kids' room, and to my surprise, Margaret was awake, quietly singing along with Maria on "I Have Confidence". She was thrilled that I discovered her. After a very busy week, I felt she needed some 'daddy' time. I asked her if she wanted to get out of bed and talk for a minute. So even though it was way past her bed time(she's is a night owl, just like dad), we went out to the front room and had a little catch-up.

I asked her how her day went(with healthy boundaries). Her HIGHLIGHT was movie-night with Mom and Cole. Specifically, watching the family Robinson throw coconut bombs at those pesky pirates. And what would you guess, the first question for me out of her mouth was, "what was the HIGHLIGHT of your day, Daddy"?

I sat there for a moment, with Margaret on my lap, deeply thinking about what I could share. I then had a sudden rush of sadness and disappointment knowing that I did not have a HIGHLIGHT that day. Not knowing what to say, I told her that my HIGHLIGHT was talking to her right then. Because it was.

She gave me a big hug/little hug and big kiss/little kiss(the routine she created when she was two). That moment ended up being the HIGHLIGHT of my week.

I guess we all have days, every now and then, void of a HIGHLIGHT. But Margaret always has a HIGHLIGHT. She can always find a moment of wonder or excitement, even in her own monotonous schedule of morning shows, pre-school, play grounds, meals and bedtime.

I am always learning so much from her goodness and wisdom. I am going to try to have HIGHLIGHT- filled days, every day. Even if the one HIGHLIGHT is a simple conversation with someone I love.

Share a recent HIGHLIGHT you've had.