My life is changing.
Our oldest lives out of state and our youngest is looking towards college. We are seeing the empty nest ahead. Our dog tells us when it is time to go to bed or gather on the couch and watch tv. With spring springing it is also a time to slow down and reflect.
My plan to write in earnest gets side-railed with great regularity. I have plans and they get changed because I am a mom. But this last week was different.
Many things were telling me to take the time to slow down.
I have a foot brace on from an injury and it needs rest which made me slow down a bit, but not too much. Then I got a cough–not a normal end of a cold cough, but a wracking till you have no breath left cough. It isn’t whooping cough–had that at 42. But it was enough to stop me. I laid in bed, wracking coughs, sore throat, drinking tea.
And I read.
Not my book. Nope. I read Shirley MacLaine’s book “Dance While You Can.” And one by Ally Carter, “See How They Run.” I held off on Jacqueline Winspear’s latest and I couldn’t concentrate on mine. It was lovely to just read with no plan for the day other than that.
I binge watched, “The Widow.”
The MacLaine book might seem like an off choice for me but my life ran near hers through mutual friends and business associates back when Dad was alive and I am watching Fosse/Verdon produced by an old friend. It is a fascinating look into their relationship.
When I was 22 I was in a musical called, “Cafeteria.” It was written, directed and choreographed by Lester Wilson. His cowriter was my then current teacher, Janet Alhanti. They had hopes of getting backers and doing the show on Broadway. Looking back I see it as a precursor to “Rent” it was dark, a little rough and a musical about street kids in LA. I was thrilled to be in it and working. I knew a bit about Lester but not much–thankfully not enough to make me nervous. I was never one who could pick it up quickly but I always had it by opening. He was choreographing Solid Gold at that time, had done a myriad of other shows, broadway, tv and film, and had choreographed Saturday Night Fever. (Yes, he invented THAT move).
The Shirley MacLaine connection
A year later I was sitting in a theatre in New York watching Shirley’s one woman show and she did a number about choreographers she felt had signature style and that she had worked with. She mentioned Lester and I nearly fell off my chair. See, I was always a actress/ singer who could move well. Not a dancer. He made me into one for that show.
If you have never seen her “choreographer” Number check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KG1Ex_xotk
Hope you have enjoyed my weekly ramble. Remember that if you don’t take time to slow down something will make you do it. I am grateful I had this time off before launching into the summer.
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