Here comes a new year. A time to make resolutions. A time to start fresh. A brand new, clean calendar to fill up with all the things. I love my new dayplanner. Empty and clean and ready to go.
Sunset in Bogota
I was looking back at the year through all the photos on my phone. 2016 was a full and exciting year. Tricklock had a wonderful Revolutions with old friends and exciting new work. We toured to Colombia, Poland, and Ukraine performing and teaching workshops and making lovely connections with artists and students. Hannah and I had a great time at the TCG conference in Washington DC. Elsa and I participated in a clown and mask intensive at the Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance in Canada with the amazing John Turner. I was able to attend the Boska Komedia festival in Krakow. I had the best time with my travel companion Dominika as we also made a rockstar, whirlwind trip to Szczecin and Wroclaw to see more theatre, meet new people, and connect with old friends.
Friends in Amsterdam
Aaron and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. I am so grateful we found each other again. I love this man more than anything else in the entire world.
True love
I got to spend time visiting the greatest of friends. Karen and Carla in Baltimore, Byron and Brandon in Phoenix, and Kerry, Joe, and Eric in LA. These are friends I have had for 15, 20, 25 years. I also just got back from a wedding in El Paso of two amazing women. I am surrounded by such amazing people.
Young and beautiful forever.
This year I had knee surgery after 5 years of pain and trouble with movement. I am still recovering and it will get better, but I am pretty sure it will never be the same. It is a weird thing when your body changes because of time. I have a damaged knee and that is just how it is now. People ask me what happened but I think it is simply 20 years of being a physical theatre performer. Training and performing take its toll. I am not complaining. I am so pleased my body is still pretty strong and my knee was awesome for 39 years. Now I just have to do things in a different way. I can still move and that is what counts.
Overall, it was a fine year. Really. I know a lot of people had a hard year but when I look back, it was pretty good.
Baltimore in the summer
The bad thing about 2016 was Donald Trump. Warning: this paragraph is really unpleasant. I do think my heart and hope will lighten up as time goes on, but right now my feelings are very grim. My country voted for a racist, xenophobic, misogynistic bully. The hate and terror this man wears so boldly on his sleeve means that EVERYONE who voted for him is a racist, xenophobic, misogynistic bully. Or they are some version of that. There is no way they could vote for this man unless some of this hate runs in their blood. I realize this is a blanket statement but it is where I stand right now. I have no desire to "connect" with these people. I have no desire to unite. The people who voted for him clearly do not want a united country. They had no thought for what is good and safe for the majority of the people. The evil side of me slightly looks forward to the downfall of this country because it will hit these racist assholes hard. Trump is not going to save jobs. He is not going to help the middle and lower class. He is not going to keep our country safe. He is not going to bring prosperity. He is not going to lift this nation up. It is going to be a terrible four years and I am horrified and humiliated that we voted this man in. Shame on us. I am still unsure what to do next.
I am holding some light and love as I look forward. There are some exciting and good things already planned for this year. More travel and exchange. More theatre and festivals. Big plans and ideas. Clear focus and also a sense of mystery as I just dive in. My hopes and dreams for the year are simple and also huge. I was recently told by a theatre colleague that I needed to think of the biggest and boldest plan, a plan that seems impossible and then pitch that idea and make it happen.
Okay.
I have a few of those so that is what I will do this year.
More Colombia in 2017 please
I recently saw Rogue One. I very much enjoyed it for reasons I won't go into right now but I keep thinking about the character Chirrut Imwe. As he walks through the battle to the master switch he says, "I am the force, the force is with me. I am the force, the force is with me. I am the force, the force is with me. I am the force, the force is with me. I am the force, the force is with me. I am the force, the force is with me." I have decided this is my mantra for 2017.
Travelers
Holding onto light and love. Pitch the impossible. I am the force and the force is with me.
Happy New Year! 💗
Here is a picture of a bunch of salsa. I love salsa.
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