Occasionally I have the good sense to leap off the merry-go-round that is my current life. Having finished the semester, final and all, I decided to do as little as my Calvinist conscience will allow. That, and eat every cookie, candy and cake that mysteriously landed on my plate. I've succeeded spectacularly; at least by my terms. In the meantime I whittled down a mound of paperwork (only to make room for more), sent out a few holiday cards, slept without an alarm, co-babysat Most Beloved Niece No. 1, and made progress in the Can-This-Marriage-Be-Saved? Sweepstakes. While I don't do Top 10 lists I will take a few minutes for highlights (and their opposites):
1. wrote a libretto, "The Diamond Necklace" (based of the Guy de Maupassant story) that became the full-length opera, "Thus the Whirligig of Time Brings in its Revenges"
2. celebrated with Fred Ho who overcame late stage colon cancer and wrote the book about it, "Diary of a Cancer Warrior"
3. worked my way to an A in Calculus I
4. worked with a great team to launch the Congo in Harlem III film festival
5. attended Daughter No. 1's wedding
6. paid off the mortgage and other outstanding debts
7. had a not-to-be-missed vacation in Ireland with my family
I am more grateful than you know for all the above and more. The glue to anything that I consider a success is the loving support of my best friends, and there are many, who not only endured cauliflower ear when I bitched, but cheered me on unceasingly when I doubted.
On the other hand there seems to have been more than the usual amount of serious physical illness, depression and heartbreak, financial catastrophe and trouble with the law with far too many people I love and care about. Were I Empress of the Known Universe I would wave my magic wand and banish that pain. It comes as no surprise that I'm not, and that there isn't one, so I will do what a person can do which is to listen with hope, advise without expectation, and provide what help I can.
It's the end of the week. It's the end of the year. To our collective future in whatever form it appears.
1. wrote a libretto, "The Diamond Necklace" (based of the Guy de Maupassant story) that became the full-length opera, "Thus the Whirligig of Time Brings in its Revenges"
2. celebrated with Fred Ho who overcame late stage colon cancer and wrote the book about it, "Diary of a Cancer Warrior"
3. worked my way to an A in Calculus I
4. worked with a great team to launch the Congo in Harlem III film festival
5. attended Daughter No. 1's wedding
6. paid off the mortgage and other outstanding debts
7. had a not-to-be-missed vacation in Ireland with my family
I am more grateful than you know for all the above and more. The glue to anything that I consider a success is the loving support of my best friends, and there are many, who not only endured cauliflower ear when I bitched, but cheered me on unceasingly when I doubted.
On the other hand there seems to have been more than the usual amount of serious physical illness, depression and heartbreak, financial catastrophe and trouble with the law with far too many people I love and care about. Were I Empress of the Known Universe I would wave my magic wand and banish that pain. It comes as no surprise that I'm not, and that there isn't one, so I will do what a person can do which is to listen with hope, advise without expectation, and provide what help I can.
It's the end of the week. It's the end of the year. To our collective future in whatever form it appears.
