Words of 2010

Throughout the course of 2010 I have collected passages from various writers that have inspired me, resonated with me, provided solace to me, taught me something, or reminded me of truth that I had known for a long time. This post contains all of them in the chronological order in which I found them. Overall I think this has been the best year of my life.

“When one door closes another opens; but we often look so long and regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” –Alexander Graham Bell

"If you were planning a career in dentistry, archeology, or accounting instead of performing, you would not be at all surprised to learn that establishing yourself requires the mastery of specific skills, as well as the investment of serious amounts of time and dollars. Yet show business, more than any other field of endeavor, is so loaded with legends of success achieved by accident, with tales of plucky but enthusiastic amateurs winning out over seasoned professionals, that it is frequently perceived as a fantasy playground even by those who make their living in it.
Every dramatic form has glorified the waif who gets off the bus in Los Angeles or New York with little more than a knapsack, a pair of tap shoes, and a load of moxie. She then collides with the powerful producer, celebrity, or agent who, struck by her artless quality, declares, 'You're what this tired old town needs,' makes a few phone calls and, in minutes, transforms her into a superstar. Doesn't that sound like the plot of a movie you've seen a couple of times? It's a wonderful story. Let's hope you can audition for the lead when they cast the next remake. In the meantime, let's not confuse that myth with reality." –How to be a Working Actor by Mari Lyn Henry & Lynne Rogers

"We write to expose the unexposed. If there is one door in the castle you have been told not to go through, you must. Otherwise, you'll just be rearranging furniture in rooms you've already been in. Most human beings are dedicated to keeping that one door shut. But the writer's job is to see what's behind it, to see the unspeakable stuff, and to turn the unspeakable into words--not just into any words but if we can, into rhythm and blues." -Anne Lamott

“Your favorite memories, most important moments in your life-were you alone?”
“No I guess not.”
“Life’s better with company. It needs a co-pilot.”
 --Up In the Air

“As believers we cannot always know why, but we can always know why we trust God who knows why, and that makes all the difference.” –Os Guinness 

“Just once, perhaps…listen to your heart. Sometimes the heart should do things without the brain’s permission.” –Connie Vorderman

“May He give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose.” –Psalm 20:4

“I still believe in summer days. The seasons always change. And life will find a way.”  -Winter Song Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson

“I look to the hills from whence cometh my Help.” Psalm 121

"Let your boat of life be light-packed with only what you need:
a homely home & simple pleasures,
someone to love & someone to love you,
a cat, a dog & a pipe or two,
enough to eat & to wear
& a little more than enough to drink
for thirst is a dangerous thing."
-Jerome Klapka Jerome

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.” –William A. Foster

“There is an art of which every man should be a master—the art of reflection. If you are not a thinking man, to what purpose are you a man at all?” –William Hart Coleridge

“Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.” Proverbs 14:1

“If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies; unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.” –Glenn Clark

“If you want trust, trust others. If you want respect, respect others. If you want help, help others. If you want love and peace in your life, give them away. If you want great friends, be one. That’s how it works.” –Dan Zadra

“Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink the wild air.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I got the sun in the mornin’ and the moon at night.” –Annie Get Your Gun

“There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different than the things we do.” –Freya Stark

“Tell me where’s the challenge if you never try?” –Jason Robert Brown

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” –Henry David Thoreau

“The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears, or the sea.” –Isak Dinesen

“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.” –Jim Carrey

“Boy, those French. They have a different word for everything.” –Steve Martin

“Be joyful always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” John 14:27a

"You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough." -Joe E. Lewis

"We need mavericks and dreamers and dissenters far more than we need junior vice presidents, but we paralyze them by insisting that every step be a step up to the next rung of the ladder. Yet often the only way for boys and girls to find their proper road is to take a hundred side trips, poking out in different directions, faltering, pulling back and starting again.
'But what if we fail?' they ask, whispering the dreaded word across the generation gap to their parents, back in the Establishment. The parents whisper back, 'Don't!'
What they should say is: 'Don't be afraid to fail.' Failure isn't the end of the world. Countless people have had a bout of failure and come out stronger as a result. Many have even come out famous. History is strewn with eminent dropouts, loners who followed their own trail, not worrying about its unexpected twists and turns because they had faith in their own sense of direction. To read their biographies is exhilarating, not only because they beat the system but because their system was better than the one they beat." –William Zinnser

I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine. ~Caskie Stinnett

“Life has got to be lived. That’s all there is to it.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

“How different people are. Some people ski solo to the north pole – while some have to summon all their courage to cross a restaurant floor.” –Elling

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“They suffer from stagnation of the brain & that surely produces stagnation of the soul in time. To feel and think and learn-learn always; surely that is being alive and young in the real sense. And most people seem to want to stagnate when they reach middle age. I hope I shall not become so, resenting ideas that are not my ideas and seeing the world with all its changes and growth as a series of congealed formulas.” –Freya Stark

"There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter — the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something.
...Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion. "—    E.B. White

Paciencia y Fe. –Lin Manuel Miranda

This is my winter song to you...

I spent 1/3 of this year performing at a dinner theatre and living in an air-condition-less ranch style house with 12 (sometimes more) other people. It was one of the most wonderful segments of my adult life. :-) During that time I got to produce meaningful art and grow friendships with people who I now hold dear. One thing that drew us together was our love of acoustic music and harmonizing. We loved singing a cover of "Winter Song" by Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson (2 of my absolute faaaavorites). One random June day Erin's friend 'Smitty' came to town to visit. Smitty is a sound engineer and happened to have recording equipment in the trunk of his SUV. He set up shop in our living room and we recorded 'Winter Song.' 6 months later we got it back. It's bare bones--my guitar was the only instrument. Kim, Selah and Millie added on to the end for a lovely, ethereal chorus. Click here then click on 'Winter Song' to download it. I hope you enjoy. Happy Winter, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year. Be blessed.

I still believe in summer days. The seasons always change and life will find a way. 

Loving:

Discounts, Free Stuff & Perks from Work
Right now I have a collection of these from juggling multiple jobs. But I love it! 50% off at a restaurant, 40% off at my favorite clothing store & free musicals galore? Yep. Loves it.

Maps, Geography & the Grid
I love globes. I love to know precise truth. And what truth is more precise than actual locations? I love telling a friend to meet me on the southwest corner of 49th & 8th and he or she knowing exactly where to meet me. Atlases make me happy.

Kids--especially the 5 & under variety.
While they seem to carry a propensity for spreading the common cold, these people in their first years of language skills say the most hilarious and thoroughly unexpected things. I'm noticing them more often here in the city...maybe because parents are getting them out to go visit Santa or to all these holiday events I have to go to for work...Also, when Disney movies are released I'm reminded again how much I look forward to having kiddos--espeeeecially little girls.

A day off of work now & again
This past week I experienced my first entire day off of work in 6 and 1/2 weeks. I slept in, had brunch with friends, went to church and had a relaxed evening. It prepared me for a wild and busy week and I think there is much truth to the common understanding that we humans need weekends. Mmmhmm.

The Christmas Spirit

Between the inflation of the Macy's Parade balloons, the beautiful windows on 5th Avenue, and the tree lighting in Rockefeller Center in addition to the smattering of holiday decorations and Christmas music I am in the throes of Christmas cheer here in the Big Apple and it is soooo charming. See? 

"There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter — the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something.
...Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion. "
 

— E.B. White