“Believe as you believe the floor will hold you up, the
chair will let you sit.” Natalie Goldberg
I have had a very challenging week. Challenging is, of course, relative. I haven’t faced starvation or struggled with
the death of a loved one. I haven’t
looked into the face of evil or been possessed by the anti-Christ (this is a
constant fear of mine). And yet,
compared to other weeks in my life… this has been a little bit more on the challenging
side. I find that weeks like this are
the ones I value more, though, than the super amazing happy go lucky ones. Now that I have a more optimistic outlook on
life, I realize that these challenging times are when life truths surface: who you can trust, who really loves you, what
you really care about, etc.
When I’m faced with challenges—little hiccoughs along the
way that make me second guess my direction, I find that writing a letter to the
Universe is a useful tool. It’s similar
to prayer, but ends up being an amazing way to get in touch with your inner,
wiser self. I’m sure you realize that if
you write a letter to the Universe, you can’t really expect the Universe to
write one back to you. So instead, you
write a letter back to yourself as though YOU are the Universe. And it’s amazing how gosh darn wise you can
be when you pretend to be all knowing.
Well, I wrote the Universe a letter.
I wrote myself a super wise answer.
I asked for a sign. And you know
what? I didn’t listen to myself. And when the Universe gave me a HUGE ASS
SIGN, I chose to ignore it. Der.
I picked up a book yesterday called “Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within” by Natalie
Goldberg. I bought it because I am
currently in the process of writing my one woman show. I have never really considered myself a
writer, but now that I feel called to write this show, I’ve decided to embrace
that I am competent enough to write. But
I wanted some advice. Some…
guidance. And this book is amazing. I would actually recommend it to anyone—whether
or not they are interested in becoming a writer. It’s full of amazing little tidbits. And it
doesn’t hurt that Natalie is a total yogi… which I find I’m well on my way to
becoming, as well. I feel like I become
more “hippy dippy” every day. And I love
it!
So, back to my challenging week. My heart hurts this week. My confidence in my career choice is once
again wilting. And then, as if the
Universe really could hear my resolve weakening, it put me in the aisle at the
book store to see Ms. Goldberg’s book. And
today, as I’ve sat at an audition for 7 hours waiting to be seen, I’ve poured
over the pages. And as each hour ticked
by, I began to get annoyed. There was so
much more I could have done today! But
then I realized that my day hasn’t been wasted.
Because sitting here for 7 hours has given me no other choice than to
read and read… and read. I’ll repeat Ms.
Goldberg’s quote:
“Believe as you believe the floor will hold you up, the
chair will let you sit.”
With those words... written in 1986 (when I was a mere babe), Natalie just… struck a chord with me. Believing is so important. I am not going to pursue anything anymore
that I don’t believe in 100%. And I am
going to believe 100% in my instincts.
Because they haven’t failed me yet.
The only thing that has failed me is when I don’t listen to my
instincts. When I try to mold the world
to fit my desires. And that works… to a
certain extent. But… I truly believe
that I have to follow my path. And so
long as I’m following that path, good things will come.
Just like I believe, with each step I take, the floor will
be there to hold me up, and that every time I want to rest my weary bones, the
chair I sit in will be there, I want to
believe that I am an artist. I was born
an artist. And THAT is who I have to
love. My SELF. Not a stupid man (though I’m certain that
once I fully love myself and am well along my path, a NOT stupid man will
appear). And I can’t deny that I was born an artist. First I was a drawer/painter. I was then a poet. Then a musician. Then a dancer. Then a drawer/painter again. Then an actor. Now a writer. I've always worn an artists hat... maybe different styles.... but there's always been one on my head. I'm an artist. It
is undeniable. And, if I truly believe that about myself, I think I will stay on track.
And I think this applies to anyone. In all walks of life. We all wear different hats, but in the end, they're all hats. And we ALL have to believe in ourselves. I know, I know. We've heard that since we exited the womb. "Believe in yourself! You can be anything you want to be! Follow your dreams!" Life just gets us so jaded and bitter that I find.... we all need a little reminding, now and then.
Update: I ended up
getting seen! After 8 hours of waiting,
I was the 130th person they saw. (Even though I was 9th in line... figure out that logic. Thanks unions!) But you know what? It was worth the wait--it was the BEST audition I’ve ever had. In my life.
Good things come to those who wait.
1 comment:
So glad you got seen! What was the audition for?
You ARE an artist! Truly! Keep believing that!
LOVE YOUR FACE!
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