THANKFUL FRIDAY
Cindy Maddera
"Bloomers"
I auditioned for Listen To Your Mother (LTYM). This was the whole reason for our impromptu getaway to St. Louis the other weekend. Naomi and Laura (the women producing the St. Louis LTYM) told me that they had over a hundred entries and were listening to forty people. I read my piece for them and they were very complimentary of my writing and very encouraging, but I did not make the final cut. I was actually relieved when I got the news. I had already started fretting about the logistics of getting to rehearsals. I have a work conference in New York the week before the performance and I was worried about how I was going to make all of that work. Then there was the part about having to actually read my piece in front of an audience. My voice cracked twice while reading to the two people at the audition. The idea of reading it front of a large crowd had already tied me in knots. So you're probably wondering why I would submit anything for consideration at all if I was just going to get crazy worked up over it.
I needed to submit this particular piece of writing. I needed to step off a ledge and make myself a little bit vulnerable. First of all, I'm thankful for people like Naomi and Laura who put so much hard work into producing a show like LTYM. Between reading all the submissions and deciding what stories to hear out loud and then whittling it down to the final thirteen for the show, they have a very tough job. I saw them somewhere in the middle of their second day of auditions and they made me feel like I was the first one they had listened to all weekend. I am thankful for their generosity and kindness. There was something extremely validating about hearing these two strangers tell me how much they loved my writing. I am thankful for the opportunity to audition, even if it was just an audition.
This is the week I have started my sabbatical. It's like being away at camp without leaving the area. It is also like trying to cook in a stranger's kitchen with that stranger looking over your shoulder. I'm nervous and still getting my bench work sea legs back. The good news is, I still know how to use some of these tools. I realize I'm being cryptic, but I don't like to blog about work. I am thankful for this sabbatical though because I'm having loads of fun learning some new things. This is also why it has been sparse around here. I've just been to busy and filled with managing my calendar to really put much thought into writing. I realize that only months ago I told you that there was a writing demon that needed to be exorcised from my body. That demon just has to put a lid on it for a little while. Just until I get things organized in other places of my life.
I think Spring has finally arrived. All the trees are covered in a light green or purple haze. The tulip trees have bloomed and green things are sprouting out of the ground. This weekend, we will start on the garden and get some things planted even though I haven't had a chance to finish planning exactly what we're going to plant. I am ready to dig in the dirt, so I'm thankful for this weather, but I am also thankful that this weather is also scooter weather. I am thankful for time spent with friends. I am thankful for a very silly puppy and a cat that walked in with the dirtiest face the other day. I am thankful for all of you who have made a donation to my AIDS Walk page. I am thankful for all of you.
Here's to a Springy weekend and super Thankful Friday!