When life hands you lemons, throw a Lemonade Party.
I was cast in a play in June, one of my largest dreams come true and I was THRILLED. This was my first audition in New York City and my first chance at taking the stage in Manhattan.
This little country girl had come a long way from from my riveting role of Dolly in Hello Dolly in Hays, Kansas and I was so ready to step into the spotlight and live my dreams.
On August 7th, three days before Opening Night, the male lead dropped out. The next day, the play was canceled.
I was disappointed to be sure. I still am. I shed some tears. Then I picked up my phone to call my parents and tell them they didn't need to fly to NYC anymore. The play was canceled.
"We still want to come see you," they said. What? Still coming?
I called my beautiful in-laws, Sue and Dave. "We'll still drive down from Buffalo to spend with you and Ben."
"Really?" I thought to myself. "My family still loves me and wants to come see me, even without my NYC debut? You mean, I might just be loved for who I AM, not for my accolades or accomplishments? My family and friends still love me even though my play was canceled?...AMAZING!"
As I emailed the close to 50 incredible people who bought tickets to my play, I realized that I was SO blessed just to have friends who would be willing to come down to NYC, pay money, and watch a small cast in a small production, in an even smaller theater.
In fact, my disappointment and sadness soon transformed to utter and complete gratitude for friends, family, love, and LIFE. It was then that I realized...WHEN LIFE HANDS YOU LEMONS...HAVE A LEMONADE PARTY!
On what would have been Opening Night, my friends and family converged on my apartment, from as far away as Wichita. The clothing theme was...Yellow! The drink of choice, well, of course...Lemonade. The mood of the party...joyful celebration of ALL of life. Not just the perceived "wins" or "gains" but ALL of life.
I am more than one play. I am more than a performer. I am more than my accomplishments or losses. I am Me. I am ALL of Me.
And I throw one hell of a Lemonade Party.
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1 comment:
This is awesome! As an actress, I empathize with the emotional trauma of having a show canceled... and I LOVE how your family and friends have helped you let go of the ego-attachment to "being in a show" and are just surrounding you with love. This has helped me think about all the ways I try to derive my self-worth from accomplishments.
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