July thinking
Early morning winter walk
We are 11 days into July. 2024. Time keeps moving forward, with no hiccups, just one second after another. As time shifts, is it an invitation for our lives to shift to ensure we are living it deeply and completely? I was first introduced to these two words, deeply and completely, by one of my inspiring yoga teachers. "Breathe in deeply, and breathe out completely", they would say as we sat, concentrating on our breath. And I've always responded to breathing life in thoroughly, followed by releasing whatever happens to the universe. Letting go. If I could sum up the impact of my work this year, I would say that I have learned to let go. Sometimes. Because we all know that everything changes, and just when I think, "Oh, look, I have let it go", it comes back to bite…so I speak in general terms. Each morning, when I turn to my chair near the window, waiting for the sun to reveal itself, the birds begin their welcome. It's personal, and it's not. I like to think they are singing to me, and at the same time, I know they are singing because that is what birds do. They sing. And if I am close enough, I listen.
Today will be a day, and I like to think it's a day that I want. Today, I begin with meditation, writing practice (practice it is, no finished product, but a step forward, a step then another step), coffee, and now, it's time to eat. Yoga, more writing, then rehearsal.
May today sparkle for you. I will also invite sparkling moments into my day: a day of refining our new play, Wanderings. Because sickness visited the company, we are working on Zoom. This is a blessing on the one hand, because it keeps us together, keeps us as healthy as possible and saves travel time, petrol fumes and crowded roads. On the other hand, sometimes extra things happen when we are in a face-to-face room. What business writers call "water cooler chats" and what I like to call a magic happenstance. For example, just by moving a particular chair onto a specific stage area, new ideas can emerge…and new rhythms can be invited in. Incidental and accidental stage moves often have magic in them. Yes, it can happen on Zoom through words, rather than movement. So perhaps both modes of working are useful, narrowing our lens to widen our focus.
But I am grateful to all the engineers and architects, technicians and scientists, dreamers and believers who have created opportunities for us all to connect, either online or face-to-face. Thank you.