I believe in the power of hard work, persistence, and determination. I think 99.9% of life’s circumstances can be fixed. I’m not saying it’s easy; I’m saying it’s possible. And you’ve got a choice to make: is what (or who) needs fixing worth your time to do the fixing? We’ve got a finite amount of time and energy, and that time and energy has to be put to good use. We have to find a way to be efficient and make as big a difference as we can. Some people and some circumstances just aren’t worth it.
I know it’s not always easy to let it go. I’ll even go so far as to say it’s never easy to let it go. But sometimes the best thing you can do, for yourself and for others, is to just walk away. Put your energy into what (and who) matters most. You have the right to make that choice. We all do. And don’t wait until you’re a certain age. You don’t know how much time or good health you have. Each moment you have is just as precious as any other moment, and they should all be treated like the gifts that they are.
I went to Sixth & I last night to see Linda Holmes interview Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, the creators of the podcast and new novel, Welcome to Night Vale. Night Vale is a small southwestern town where every conspiracy theory is true. There’s much you can read about the podcast – how it was started by two theater artists in a Brooklyn apartment, that there were only 52 downloads in the first month, and that the creators are flat-out shocked by the success of this off-beat, quirky, and confounding story that’s filled with equal amounts of tenderness and weirdness.
What you haven’t heard, because it has to be experienced, is the overwhelming joy that the loyal fans feel toward this story, these characters, this town, and its creators. The cheers and applause never stopped at the event last night. The laughter literally rang through the rafters of Sixth & I, the warmth between the audience and the authors was palpable, and I’ll never forget it. This is what story told with authenticity and love can do. This is what happens when we build from the heart and not for the wallet. (Night Vale refuses to take money from advertising and instead relies on donations, merchandise sales, and revenue from live shows.) It’s an example of how art done right has a powerful impact on the soul. All of it makes me happy.
I’ve been in D.C. for 8 months now and people often ask me if I miss New York City. My answer: hell yes! I miss it every day. I miss the beat, the relentless creativity, and the constant push to reinvent. I came of age in New York City and my many years of living there got inside my bones. It will be with me always, everywhere I go. And once I realized that, I was free to go. I carry New York City with me, and that confidence allowed me to stretch my wings, take everything I learned there, and head out on a new adventure in a new city. I love going back to the motherland. I’ll always love going back there. The place is insane, and I accept it exactly as it is and exactly as it will be, flaws and glories and all. New York made me tough, and it also made me extraordinarily curious, empathic, and hopeful. Those are gifts that keep on giving.
I can close my eyes and go back to New York in an instant. I can sit down at my computer, drop a character into the middle of it all, and watch with rapture to see what unfolds in my writing. From my new home in D.C., I can be there in about 3 hours on a comfy Amtrak train. It’s not so far away, and it’s not going anywhere. Sure, it’s different every time I go back and each trip is filled with discovery and learning. That’s the point of New York. It’s meant to break you out of your routine. It means to throw you off-balance and help you understand that you’re strong and that you can recover from anything, literally anything. It’ll break you, and then show you that being broken has its benefits and rewards. Being broken, and broke, isn’t the worst thing in the world. Just keep looking up. There’s a will and a way and if you keep looking for it, you’ll find it. After all, you can find anything at any time in New York – and that includes healing, dreams, and a sense of purpose.
New York is a rabbit hole to the extreme, and I’m happy to tumble down it every chance I get. I don’t have to live in Wonderland to love it. I know I can pop in for my fix, let it go, and know that it will welcome me back any time that I want to be there. It’s a perpetual open door that doesn’t require an invitation. That’s what a home is and what a home does, and New York will always be home for me in the truest sense of the word.
El Dia de los Muertos, a significant holiday for Mexico, begins today. The Day of the Dead is a celebration steeped in history. People who celebrate it construct altars to make offerings to their loved ones who have passed on. (This photo was taken at a cemetery celebration in Mexico.) As someone who believes that death is a crossing over to the other side and not a permanent loss, this holiday has always resonated with me. One year I’d love to go to Mexico to see it in action. For now, I celebrate it from afar.
Today take some time to remember those who have started the next leg of their journey and will show us the way when our time arrives.
“This is the time of the year to write to the Great Pumpkin. On Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises out of his pumpkin patch and flies through the air with his bag of toys for all the children.” ~Linus
I hope you all find the Great Pumpkin and that he bestows on you the happiest of Halloweens, or at least a whole lotta candy!
If you’re looking for a way to celebrate Halloween in DC with equal amounts of fright and art, check out Mockingbird Hill. Their 3rd annual A Toast to Poe will happen in partnership with We Happy Few Productions’s staged reading of Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado. What could be better than a Halloween filled with tributes to the king of macabre? I hope you’ll join me. The more the merrier, or is it the more the scarier?!
“The trouble is, you think you have time.” ~Buddha
Immediately after I finish one of my paper collages, I replace it with a blank one on my easel. That may sound a bit over zealous. Shouldn’t I at least give myself some time to just revel in being done with a project before pushing on?
Ed, my teacher, mentor, and friend, posted this quote from the Buddha a few days ago and it really struck me. I’m very conscious of the passage of time. Some might say too conscious of it. I’ve known, loved, and lost too many people too soon, and the same is true for many of my friends. We think we have time, but really, time has us.
I’ve learned the hard way that it’s much better to look at a blank canvas that symbolizes our next great potential project than to spend our time looking back at our accomplishments. I’ll save the reflection for when I’m very old and gray and less able to do. Now is a time for moving forward and crafting what comes next.
I just signed up for This., a new social media platform that only lets you post one link per day. Our attention and focus is pulled in so many directions, and This. in some ways forces us to say, “Today, this is the one story that really had an impact on me and I’d like to share it with all of you.”
Too often an overabundance of everything is the goal. This. is working toward something different. It’s opening the conversation of quality over quantity, and the way you “like” a link someone posts is to click “thanks”. It’s trying to bring humanity to our screens, and I’m all for it.
“There is a subtle truth. Whatever you love, you are.” ~Rumi
Stuff your life with the people and things that light you up. Art, music, food, travel, stories. Make room for it. Pitch the things and people in your life that don’t add to it so that you have space for what matters most. In time, we become what we see, hear, and feel. The life we build around us is the life that seeps into us so make sure it’s the you want on your own terms.
I was hypnotized by Marc Maron’s recent WTF podcast episode in which he interviews James Taylor, one of my favorite musicians. Taylor’s life has been a winding road that was often dark, twisted, and lonely. To hear his smooth and comforting voice, the voice I first heard as a young teenager and can never get enough of, that harrowing journey isn’t always apparent.
This interview, the most raw and honest I’ve ever heard Taylor give (and as a huge fan I’ve heard many!), often left me teary-eyed and profoundly grateful that he is still with us and still making music. Now 32 years sober, Taylor is in love and making us fall in love with his music all over again via his new album, Before This World. His music and the people in his life, including friends and family, helped him make that climb out of the depths and into the light. Taylor and Maron reminded us that change, growth, and healing are difficult, but possible.
With his trademark familiarity and humility, Maron makes guests comfortable enough to share the stuff that hurts. I felt like I was in that garage in Los Angeles where Maron conducts most of his interviews, and that after we’d all go out and get a coffee. This is the gift of listening to podcasts and personal interviews. It’s an intense exercise in attention, connection, and awareness that’s so personal that it transports us. It’s a meditation of sorts, an opportunity to leave our own cares and worries behind, that helps us to better understand and appreciate another person’s experience and journey. And for this gift, I’m tremendously grateful to Taylor and Maron.
