I've Been Wanting to Act Again

And have been waiting "patiently" to see what the Fall production with Bedford Off Broadway would be.

I've known for awhile that this Fall's director would be the one who I worked with on "The Boys Next Door" and I loved working with him.

The postcard announcing auditions arrived yesterday, and I excitedly turned it over to see how many actors were needed, and what the specifications were.

It is a four person play.

One male and one female, ranging in age from 50 - 60

AND

One male and one female who are (and I quote) "physically able to move like a lizard."

That is all.

A Tiny Saturday Morning Insight

I've often caught myself thinking, "If I had only lived in Bible times, there would never be any feeling of disconnect with God."

Then the logical part of my brain kicks in and says, "You know that is not true," and then I go merrily on my way...

But generally when I think with envy of those who lived in Bible times, it's of those in the New Testament, who had daily interaction with Jesus. It just seems to my brain and my heart, that if I saw Jesus face to face and heard His teachings, that there would never be dry times.

I've read the stories enough to know that even those who were closest to Him had times of disconnect or disbelief, but I've always wished... just wished I could see His face and be changed forever, basking in the glow of having SEEN Him.

Today as I was reading in 1Kings, it hit me anew that God appeared to those in the Old Testament as well... and there weren't always happy outcomes with those certain individuals.

11:9 - speaking of Solomon "... because his heart had turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice."

And it hit me - humans are humans regardless of the time that they lived. Regardless of how many times God appeared to Solomon... or to me... there is a tendency to stray when the going get tough, or when it just "doesn't feel real."

So, I happily keep plugging along, knowing that I'm normal. And if I keep searching, He'll keep being faithful.

Just Me & My Mom

Things I Find Unfortunate

I fear that Facebook is taking over my life.

I can be rather obsessive about certain things. I freely admit this.

And I love Facebook. It makes me happy.

But I have begun to think in Facebook speak.

When I first started playing games (like Scramble) on Facebook, I would find myself at work thinking "If I had these letters in a corner of the board I could make this word, and this word... OH, and THIS word! That's a good word!"

And now, I'm starting to think in status bar mode.

"Lindsay is LOVING Ben & Jerry's Creme Brulee ice cream"

"Lindsay finds it weird that it is raining in the front yard, but not in the back yard"

"Lindsay should stop wasting time on her computer, and accomplish things"

"Lindsay doesn't want to"

"Lindsay should stop referring to herself in the third person"

Lindsay's friends get the idea.

Because That's How I Roll

My vacation was wonderful. I needed a break in my busy world, and the thought that ran through my mind the entire time in Nova Scotia was, "There are no expectations of me during this week." I even left my own expectations of myself at home, which is a big deal!

I relaxed, read, watched tv, had wonderful talks with both Mom & Dad, ate home cooked meals, slept a LOT... it was wonderful! I was truly able to do nothing.

And in the car on the way home I thought, "This would be a good thing to keep up. It will be good to just slow down when I get home. I'll need this before I start school in the fall."

So, to start this whole Do Not Much lifestyle, on Saturday I...

Woke up in Aunt Kath & Uncle Rick's house
Went for a boat ride and swimming
Packed
Drove from ME to Manchester w/ my cousin Alex
Drove from Manchester to Allenstown for a bbq with friends
Drove from Allenstown to Manchester for dinner with Amy
Drove from Manch home
Amy came over and we had sat on the back porch and had a little fire

And today I...

Went to church
Started a movie, so I could relax a little
Went to the pool to have a little catch-up chat with Cherilyn
Drove to Milford to celebrate Katie's birthday with lots of fun peeps
Played in the rain with Amy at Key's field after said birthday party
Went to Evan & Jill's for dinner
Drove home from Milford
Unpacked from the trip
Did laundry
Finished the movie

And now... it's time to look ahead to going back to work.

So even though my vacation was ultra-wonderful, everything I wanted it to be, and a much needed break... I love my life... fast paced as it is.

Eat, Pray, Love

I loved this book! It was well written, deep, winsome, and I felt as if the author (Elizabeth Gilbert) was putting on paper what's been going on lately inside of my head and heart.

Even though I am not at a place in life where I can take a year off to go to Italy, India & Indonesia to discover God... the level of her almost desperate intensity in searching for the best that life has to offer is at the same intensity that mine has been for the last seven months.

This excerpt made me laugh. How often have these conversations taken place inside my own head, as I've tried to do my devotions. And though mine entailed kneeling in my living room, not a dark temple in India, my mind would "help" just as much as hers tried to.

Enjoy!

Me: Ok, we're going to meditate now. Let's draw our attention to our breath and focus on the mantra. Om Namah Shivaya. Om Namah Shiv -

Mind: I can help you out this this, you know!

Me: Ok, good, because I need your help. Let's go. Om Namah Shivaya. Om Namah Shi -

Mind: I can help you think of nice meditative images. Like - hey, here's a good one. Imagine you are a temple. A temple on an island! And the island in in the ocean!

Me: Oh, that is a nice image.

Mind: Thanks. I thought of it myself.

Me: But what ocean are we picturing here?

Mind: The Mediterranean. Imagine you're on of those Greek islands, with an old Greek temple on it. No, never mind, that's too touristy. You know what? Forget the ocean. Oceans are too dangerous. Here's a better idea - imagine you're an island in a lake, instead.

Me: Can we meditate now, please? Om Namah Shiv -

Mind: Yes! Definitely! But try not to picture that the lake is covered with... what are those things called -

Me: Jet Skis?

Mind: Yes! Jet Skis! Those thing consume so much fuel! They're really a menace to the environment. Do you know what else uses a lot of fuel? Leaf blowers. You wouldn't think so, but-

Me: OK, but let's MEDITATE now, please? Om Namah -

Mind: Right! I definitely want to help you meditate! And that's why we're going to skip the image of an island on a lake or an ocean, because that's obviously not working. So let's imagine that you're an island in... a river!

Me: Oh, you mean like Bannerman Island, in the Hudson River?

Mind: Yes! Exactly! Perfect. Therefore, in conclusion, let's meditate on this image - envision that you are an island in a river. All the thoughts that float by as you're meditating, these are just the river's natural currents and you can ignore them because you are an island.

Me: Wait, I thought you said I was a temple.

Mind: That's right, sorry. You're a temple on an island. In fact, you are both the temple and the island.

Me: Am I also the river?

Mind: No, the river is just the thoughts.

Me: Stop! Please stop! YOU'RE MAKING ME CRAZY!!!

Mind (wounded): Sorry. I was only trying to help.

Me: Om Namah Shivaya... Om Namah Shivaya...Om Namah Shivaya...

Here there is a promising eight-second pause in the thoughts. But then -

Mind: Are you mad at me now?

The Antidote for an Alexander Day

If thou of fortune be bereft,
And in thy store there be but left
two loaves,

Sell one, and with the dole,
Buy Hyacinths to feed thy soul
~Muslih-uddin Sadi

Sure, they're not hyacinths, and I am not bereft of my fortune... BUT the principle of the matter is as follows.

Flowers do my heart all kinds of good.
And today was not what I would refer to as my favorite.

Moral to take away from this story:

When you walk into a grocery store and you see that they are selling flowers three bunches for $10, and the bunches that they are selling are your ultimate favorites...

Quote your favorite poem and buy with abandon!