No. Not mine.
Yours.
You, people I have met with and worked with and then I discover you have become something even grander.
I find myself bursting with pride when I come across an old friend or, more frequently, a short-term colleague (given the nature of theater) who has accomplished something wonderful.
When I was just out of college, I worked on a short play with a young man who, at the time, was approaching his late 20s. He had a two year old son and a dedicated wife. His wife had agreed to let him quit his day job so he could pursue acting full time. He had a year to make sure he could bring home some bacon. This short play was his first gig. A few years later, when I returned to that city, I attended an awards banquet, and there he was, up on stage, part of the evening’s honored entertainment.
Just this fall I discovered a girlfriend out in LA writing for Knight Rider.
If I were to sit down and watch TV, I stumble across a familiar face on a commercial or TV show at least every couple of months.
And I feel like my heart will burst I’m so proud of them. There is, fantastically, no jealousy at all. I don’t find myself watching them, or reading about them, and burning up with desire. Going green with envy of what they’ve done. I just am glad I “knew them when…”
And the inspiration for this post? This chic over at Living Oprah. She was my director in Chicago. She cast me in an all-improvised show when I had very little experience and she patiently and determinedly dragged the best out of me. Learning to improvise for her was one of the best things I ever could have done as an actress. She is a remarkable woman. She has spent this entire year taking ALL of Oprah’s advice–and I mean ALL. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, she’ll be on the Today Show with Matt Lauer. So freaking cool.
Raising a Humanist 