If your life is orbiting around a single reference point, make it a healthy one.
Dana Bate
*************
Hello Marty
**************
Years ago, among my many other jobs, I conducted some seminars in public speaking. The seminar was in New York City. At the beginning of the first session I asked each of the participants to stand and speak for a minute about themselves and any special interests they had. One fellow spoke about his love of gambling. I lectured briefly and then we went to lunch. When we returned from lunch the man wasn't there. He didn't reappear later or on any of the other days he had paid for. I knew exactly where he was. He had talked himself into a mini vacation in Atlantic City. Obviously gambling was more important to him than learning to be a better public speaker. Gambling was evidently what his real life was about.
I know drinkers whose life is centered around sucking intoxicating liquids out of a bottle any way they can.
I know drug users whose lives defined by smoking, sniffing, swallowing some sort of dope or injecting it into themselves through a needle..
To those people losing money, getting disgusting or paranoid, sloppy and sulfuring withdrawal pains are not results but annoying intrusions on the otherwise happy times they would be having.
The danger is in just that. There is so much enthusiasm connected to whatever the particular habit is that one forgets how self destructive it is. In fact the enjoyment is so great that anything negative about it will usually be ignored.
I used to know some drug users in New York who talked of nothing else but the drugs, what they were, where they got them and when they took them and never about their families, the work or their careers.
Enthusiasm is a very good thing if it's focused in the right direction. Enthusiasm is among the first steps toward any activity. A further step is imagining and determining what the result will be of that activity. Is it a waste of money with negative and possibly dangerous outcomes? Or is it rather something that will provide a happier and better life for you and for those around you. People for whom the center of their lives is involved in working a successful business, raising a family or even tending a flower garden may have a positive, healthy point around which their lives are orbiting.
It isn't difficult to find such a focal point if one looks for the right results and strives for them. A clean, clear, positive, happy life is not found in the dope, the booze or the roulette wheel. Those are where death is found.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
Never give up.
****************************
Showing posts with label enthusiasm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label enthusiasm. Show all posts
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Sunday, November 27, 2011
No Yawning
The best way to live is by not knowing what will happen to you by the end of the day.
Daniel Barthelme
*********************
Hello Jen
*********************
Someone recently remarked that my life is not boring. How can a man who lives alone, in an attic apartment, in a small and quiet town, with no family, no pets and hardly any visitors not live a boring life? How can that be, especially since he spent his working life in the entertainment business, as an actor, one of the most interesting, exciting and action filled professions there is and one which is never boring? Why isn't he bored to a perpetual yawn now?
I have known people in my days who were expert at planning out their lives so well that they knew where they would be at any minute during the day. They would keep to strict schedules, were dependably prompt and never deviated from the discipline of their lives. That's a noble way to live, I suppose, but it doesn't allow for much improvisation, adventure or whimsy. And when carried to an extreme it tends to invoke rules for buttoning shirts and tying shoes.
"I always do my laundry at 11 Saturday morning."
"Why not do it Friday night instead?"
"Oh no, Friday night is my time for doing the crossword puzzle."
It gets ridiculous. Some people will tell you that if they didn't carefully plan out the day little would ever get done, and I agree with that. Any serious actor knows time must be set aside for memorizing lines and developing the script. When rehearsal and performance times come the actor must be there and ready to work. But if it weren't for the freedom of expression and imagination, the unexpected moments of creativity, the bright light of inspiration that suddenly flicks on, the actors performance would be boring. The arts when properly done are never boring.
So why aren't I bored? Why isn't my life boring? Although I like a good healthy yawn now and then, I'm not an authority on boredom. My life in theatre taught me curiosity, imagination and, best of all, enthusiasm. It also taught me to respect the unexpected.
When the stranger wanders into your life, when the door you always go through is suddenly locked and when the steady rhythms of your day become syncopated smile, boredom has just fled out the window like an escaping racoon.
If you can embrace with enthusiasm the ever new, ever changing story of your life it can only get better.
Dana B - The Vagabond
Never Give Up
***********************
Daniel Barthelme
*********************
Hello Jen
*********************
Someone recently remarked that my life is not boring. How can a man who lives alone, in an attic apartment, in a small and quiet town, with no family, no pets and hardly any visitors not live a boring life? How can that be, especially since he spent his working life in the entertainment business, as an actor, one of the most interesting, exciting and action filled professions there is and one which is never boring? Why isn't he bored to a perpetual yawn now?
I have known people in my days who were expert at planning out their lives so well that they knew where they would be at any minute during the day. They would keep to strict schedules, were dependably prompt and never deviated from the discipline of their lives. That's a noble way to live, I suppose, but it doesn't allow for much improvisation, adventure or whimsy. And when carried to an extreme it tends to invoke rules for buttoning shirts and tying shoes.
"I always do my laundry at 11 Saturday morning."
"Why not do it Friday night instead?"
"Oh no, Friday night is my time for doing the crossword puzzle."
It gets ridiculous. Some people will tell you that if they didn't carefully plan out the day little would ever get done, and I agree with that. Any serious actor knows time must be set aside for memorizing lines and developing the script. When rehearsal and performance times come the actor must be there and ready to work. But if it weren't for the freedom of expression and imagination, the unexpected moments of creativity, the bright light of inspiration that suddenly flicks on, the actors performance would be boring. The arts when properly done are never boring.
So why aren't I bored? Why isn't my life boring? Although I like a good healthy yawn now and then, I'm not an authority on boredom. My life in theatre taught me curiosity, imagination and, best of all, enthusiasm. It also taught me to respect the unexpected.
When the stranger wanders into your life, when the door you always go through is suddenly locked and when the steady rhythms of your day become syncopated smile, boredom has just fled out the window like an escaping racoon.
If you can embrace with enthusiasm the ever new, ever changing story of your life it can only get better.
Dana B - The Vagabond
Never Give Up
***********************
Monday, October 17, 2011
May I Have This Dance?
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
**********************
Hello Val
**********************
In the early days of video tape it was wide and think and splicing was impossible. So each full segment of a television program needed to be taped as a whole. Things have improved quite well since then though there are still limitations. A vast amount of lighting is still needed for a scene to look natural and not dim.
Years ago I was involved in the taping of a variety show for TV. The program began with an invisible announcer, then an orchestra began to play. Some dancers came out and did a vigorous dance. Following them the star of the show came out and introduced the guest star, who was a well known film and stage actor and singer. They talked for a bit and then sang a duet. After the duet the star said they would be back after a message from the automobile company that was sponsoring the show. That was the complete first segment.
When the taping started the announcer spoke and the dancers came out and did their dance. The star was late getting into his place so they stopped. They went back to the announcer, the music started again and the dancers did their dance again. The star was in place and did his opening remarks. He introduced the guest. While they were chatting the star flubbed a line. So they went back to the announcer, the music, the dancers, the star coming out and the guest artist. That time they made it to the song but in the song the guest singer forgot on of the lyrics. So they began again with the announcer, the music, the dancers, the star, the guest, the chat, the song and the closing announcement.
The thing that impressed me the most was the spirit of the dancers. It was a very vigorous dance, as those variety shows could often present, and yet the dancers never lost their enthusiasm for doing it, no matter how many times they would have to do it.
I've done films in which I had to do the same simple scene over again more than a half dozen times for one reason or another and it's difficult but you have to deliver the scene at the same quality each time because you don't know which one will end up in the film.
For each successful performance there are scores of failures that end up in the trash bin.
Unfortunately there is usually no trash bin in real life and our failures have a tendency to stick around like doggy poop on a shoe until we get over them and get on with life. That word "enthusiasm" is the key. The joy of any accomplishment is getting it the way you want it. Holding the expectation of that joy in mind can push our efforts along no matter how many times we flop.
It was clear to me those dancers loved what they did, and they had more dancing to do later in the show, but I'm sure they and everyone else sighed with gratitude and relief when the director said "That's a take."
Getting it wrong a few times is usually inevitable. But there is nothing better than to keep going until you get it right.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
Never Give Up
****************************
AUTUMN QUESTION
What event over the past year changed your life, a lot or a little?
Only 4 answers so far.
dbdacoba@aol.com
I await your answers.
DB
********************
Winston Churchill
**********************
Hello Val
**********************
In the early days of video tape it was wide and think and splicing was impossible. So each full segment of a television program needed to be taped as a whole. Things have improved quite well since then though there are still limitations. A vast amount of lighting is still needed for a scene to look natural and not dim.
Years ago I was involved in the taping of a variety show for TV. The program began with an invisible announcer, then an orchestra began to play. Some dancers came out and did a vigorous dance. Following them the star of the show came out and introduced the guest star, who was a well known film and stage actor and singer. They talked for a bit and then sang a duet. After the duet the star said they would be back after a message from the automobile company that was sponsoring the show. That was the complete first segment.
When the taping started the announcer spoke and the dancers came out and did their dance. The star was late getting into his place so they stopped. They went back to the announcer, the music started again and the dancers did their dance again. The star was in place and did his opening remarks. He introduced the guest. While they were chatting the star flubbed a line. So they went back to the announcer, the music, the dancers, the star coming out and the guest artist. That time they made it to the song but in the song the guest singer forgot on of the lyrics. So they began again with the announcer, the music, the dancers, the star, the guest, the chat, the song and the closing announcement.
The thing that impressed me the most was the spirit of the dancers. It was a very vigorous dance, as those variety shows could often present, and yet the dancers never lost their enthusiasm for doing it, no matter how many times they would have to do it.
I've done films in which I had to do the same simple scene over again more than a half dozen times for one reason or another and it's difficult but you have to deliver the scene at the same quality each time because you don't know which one will end up in the film.
For each successful performance there are scores of failures that end up in the trash bin.
Unfortunately there is usually no trash bin in real life and our failures have a tendency to stick around like doggy poop on a shoe until we get over them and get on with life. That word "enthusiasm" is the key. The joy of any accomplishment is getting it the way you want it. Holding the expectation of that joy in mind can push our efforts along no matter how many times we flop.
It was clear to me those dancers loved what they did, and they had more dancing to do later in the show, but I'm sure they and everyone else sighed with gratitude and relief when the director said "That's a take."
Getting it wrong a few times is usually inevitable. But there is nothing better than to keep going until you get it right.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
Never Give Up
****************************
AUTUMN QUESTION
What event over the past year changed your life, a lot or a little?
Only 4 answers so far.
dbdacoba@aol.com
I await your answers.
DB
********************
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Take The Risk
CONTENTS:
Take The Risk
Summer Question
Weekend Puzzle
--------------------------------
You must pray that the way be long, full of adventures and experiences.
Constantine Cavafy
***********************
"How did I get into this?" Why did I ever decide to do this?" "What am I doing?" These are the remarks of a person who has taken on an adventure that looks too big for them. I've said something similar myself on occasion.
The other day I was explaining to a young person who Charles Lindbergh was. In this day of almost daily space travel it doesn't seem such a big deal to a young person, I suppose, that someone flew solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. But on May 20, 1927 Lindburgh took off and 33 1/2 hours later landed in Paris. He was the first person ever to do it. I wonder when he turned East and left all sight of land if he said "How did I get into this?"
When Charles Blondin, the tight rope walker, first stepped out on the 1100 foot rope 160 feet over the abyss of Niagara Falls did he say to himself "Why did I ever decide to do this?"
On April 12, 1961 when Yuri Gagarin blasted off to become the first human in space did he ask himself "What am I doing?"
The answer to those questions is probably "yes" or some variation. Few of us ever have the opportunity or the madness to have such experiences, but the adventurous spirit of the human being is evident in many lesser dramatic ways.
People who accomplish amazing things are initially called foolish risk takers. Pioneers who tame the wilderness and grow crops that feed people, Others who have found a route of commerce across endless dessert, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed Mount Everest way back in 1953 to prove it could be done. Now climbing Everest is an industry.
Fortunately one doesn't have to risk one's life to be a hero. Other things can be risked: safety, security, reputation, money, health, self respect, just to name a few. It's a calculation. It's an adventure. It's an experience. Is it worth the risk? Everything and anything is worth the risk for a more fulfilling and interesting life.
I rue the hours I spent doing nothing but watching inane television, arguing with people over unimportant things, wandering through the streets with no purpose or design.
The long road of one's life is worth living with adventure, purpose and, above all, enthusiasm. The prayer of the truly alive should be "Please let me not be bored."
------------------------------------
Never give up.
DB - The Vagabond
************************
SUMMER QUESTION
It's a long, hot, sticky summer, so here's a hot, sticky question for you.
Same sex marriage. Should it be legal or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
dbdacoba@aol.com
7 answers so far.
You have until the last day of summer, but don't dally.
I eagerly await your answer.
DB
************************
WEEKEND PUZZLE
(It's easy.)
What do the following names have in common?
For extra points, identify them.
********************
Beethoven
Champion
C3PO
Ed
Hal
Lassie
Louie
Ollie
Scout
Toto
******************
dbdacoba@aol.com
Take The Risk
Summer Question
Weekend Puzzle
--------------------------------
You must pray that the way be long, full of adventures and experiences.
Constantine Cavafy
***********************
"How did I get into this?" Why did I ever decide to do this?" "What am I doing?" These are the remarks of a person who has taken on an adventure that looks too big for them. I've said something similar myself on occasion.
The other day I was explaining to a young person who Charles Lindbergh was. In this day of almost daily space travel it doesn't seem such a big deal to a young person, I suppose, that someone flew solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. But on May 20, 1927 Lindburgh took off and 33 1/2 hours later landed in Paris. He was the first person ever to do it. I wonder when he turned East and left all sight of land if he said "How did I get into this?"
When Charles Blondin, the tight rope walker, first stepped out on the 1100 foot rope 160 feet over the abyss of Niagara Falls did he say to himself "Why did I ever decide to do this?"
On April 12, 1961 when Yuri Gagarin blasted off to become the first human in space did he ask himself "What am I doing?"
The answer to those questions is probably "yes" or some variation. Few of us ever have the opportunity or the madness to have such experiences, but the adventurous spirit of the human being is evident in many lesser dramatic ways.
People who accomplish amazing things are initially called foolish risk takers. Pioneers who tame the wilderness and grow crops that feed people, Others who have found a route of commerce across endless dessert, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed Mount Everest way back in 1953 to prove it could be done. Now climbing Everest is an industry.
Fortunately one doesn't have to risk one's life to be a hero. Other things can be risked: safety, security, reputation, money, health, self respect, just to name a few. It's a calculation. It's an adventure. It's an experience. Is it worth the risk? Everything and anything is worth the risk for a more fulfilling and interesting life.
I rue the hours I spent doing nothing but watching inane television, arguing with people over unimportant things, wandering through the streets with no purpose or design.
The long road of one's life is worth living with adventure, purpose and, above all, enthusiasm. The prayer of the truly alive should be "Please let me not be bored."
------------------------------------
Never give up.
DB - The Vagabond
************************
SUMMER QUESTION
It's a long, hot, sticky summer, so here's a hot, sticky question for you.
Same sex marriage. Should it be legal or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
dbdacoba@aol.com
7 answers so far.
You have until the last day of summer, but don't dally.
I eagerly await your answer.
DB
************************
WEEKEND PUZZLE
(It's easy.)
What do the following names have in common?
For extra points, identify them.
********************
Beethoven
Champion
C3PO
Ed
Hal
Lassie
Louie
Ollie
Scout
Toto
******************
dbdacoba@aol.com
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Don't Throw In The Towel
Thank you all for your many birthday wishes on my journal, on face book, over the phone, from email and snail mail. I'm very pleased.
Contents
Don't throw in the towel
Winter Question
What happened to Jasper Fingerhut
****************************************
Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age.
Jeanne Moreau
********************
When a high school student asked what life was like in the theatre I went through a long list of things and I ended by saying "The one thing it absolutely never is is boring." If you're an actor you may be exhausted, frustrated, and angry, but you will never be bored.
I eschew boredom with vigor. It is the obverse side of claustrophobia for me. I admire people who can do the same job for their whole working lives. I could never do it.
But I have known actors who burned themselves out after only a handful of years because they got caught up on a roller coaster ride of fame and popularity and didn't love what they were doing. Eventually the roller coaster ride ended, sometimes disastrously.
Falling in love with someone can be a twisty, turning, ascending and plummeting thing also, but it can straighten out into a ride of gentle passion. Even if another person is not involved I believe it is vitally important for people to find something they love to do and do it, especially when they get older. I have heard people say, Some day when I'm older and have more time to myself I hope to do so and so. My answer is, Why wait?
If you find a passion for something and do it, even part time, it generates all sorts of positive qualities in your life and one of the most important is enthusiasm. I've known guys with many different hobbies they were crazy about: golf, fishing, barbershop quartet singing, scuba diving, disco dancing, fencing, learning to play a musical instrument, traveling, going back to school. The list is endless but everything on it is something that has brought love of doing and being into someone's life and thus prevented age from creeping into the ring and throwing in the towel.
I believe it is the love and enthusiasm for doing the things, associating with the people and being consciously present with what we enjoy that are the seeds of a continuing and interesting life.
DB - The Vagabond
************************
WINTER QUESTION
(This is not a contest)
What was the most significant event that happened in 2010?
dbdacoba@aol.com
Will you people get your act together and answer this question, please?
Only 7 responses so far. Winter is almost over.
DB
******************************
What happened to old Jasper Fingerhut?
A murder mystery in 7 sections.
Section 1
The police came soon after Brett Salazar called them. He had called to report seeing a man floating face down in a quiet part of the Borden River. A police wagon soon arrived and they fished the man out of the water He was dead.
The man was old, barefoot, wearing large brown corduroy trousers and a tattered and torn blue shirt. There was nothing in his pockets. He had a large metal cross around his neck and on his left middle finger a ring in the shape of a skull with a small green stone in the left eye socket, the other socket was empty. No one recognized him.
Doctor Skinner, the Bordentown Medial Examiner, received the corpse to begin his examination. He was to determine time and cause of death and any other important information he could find about the mysterious dead man.
While this was happening Boris Klipton, Professor of Art History at Bordentown State Teachers College, was way upstream. Sitting by the river, he was working on his latest book. It was an account of recent unsolved art thefts.
During his interview with Detective Rice Turner, Brett Salazar, testified of hearing four gunshots in the distance long before he saw the body. When Detective Turner asked him what he was doing at the river, Brett answered that he was planning to fish but had forgotten his fishing gear and was about to go home when he spotted the dead man floating in the water.
----------------------------------------
Section 2
At around 3 p. m. Professor Klipton gathered up his papers, put them in his briefcase and got back in his car. He noticed some lint and bits of cloth on the seat, brushed them off on to the floor, put down his briefcase and drove to Sam's Place.
Sam Newitt opened his general store and gas station about 25 years ago. It was on the outskirts of town, away from all the bustle, which is the way he liked it. He would get business from folks leaving Bordentown on their way home and others who were passing through. He did a good business.
Sam was a good man, but he had one nasty habit. He liked to go down to the river with his rifle and shoot birds.
When Professor Klipton arrived he found Hank, Sam's part time help. When asked, Hank didn't know where Sam was but thought he was probably out shooting. Klipton filled up the gas tank, bought a few items for his dinner and drove home.
The dead man came to Doctor Skinner's office in a body bag. He and Ivan, his assistant, opened the bag and as they did Skinner immediately put a large towel over the dead man's face and upper body. Then he dismissed Ivan for the day and went to work.
-----------------------------------
Section 3 tomorrow
DB
Contents
Don't throw in the towel
Winter Question
What happened to Jasper Fingerhut
****************************************
Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age.
Jeanne Moreau
********************
When a high school student asked what life was like in the theatre I went through a long list of things and I ended by saying "The one thing it absolutely never is is boring." If you're an actor you may be exhausted, frustrated, and angry, but you will never be bored.
I eschew boredom with vigor. It is the obverse side of claustrophobia for me. I admire people who can do the same job for their whole working lives. I could never do it.
But I have known actors who burned themselves out after only a handful of years because they got caught up on a roller coaster ride of fame and popularity and didn't love what they were doing. Eventually the roller coaster ride ended, sometimes disastrously.
Falling in love with someone can be a twisty, turning, ascending and plummeting thing also, but it can straighten out into a ride of gentle passion. Even if another person is not involved I believe it is vitally important for people to find something they love to do and do it, especially when they get older. I have heard people say, Some day when I'm older and have more time to myself I hope to do so and so. My answer is, Why wait?
If you find a passion for something and do it, even part time, it generates all sorts of positive qualities in your life and one of the most important is enthusiasm. I've known guys with many different hobbies they were crazy about: golf, fishing, barbershop quartet singing, scuba diving, disco dancing, fencing, learning to play a musical instrument, traveling, going back to school. The list is endless but everything on it is something that has brought love of doing and being into someone's life and thus prevented age from creeping into the ring and throwing in the towel.
I believe it is the love and enthusiasm for doing the things, associating with the people and being consciously present with what we enjoy that are the seeds of a continuing and interesting life.
DB - The Vagabond
************************
WINTER QUESTION
(This is not a contest)
What was the most significant event that happened in 2010?
dbdacoba@aol.com
Will you people get your act together and answer this question, please?
Only 7 responses so far. Winter is almost over.
DB
******************************
What happened to old Jasper Fingerhut?
A murder mystery in 7 sections.
Section 1
The police came soon after Brett Salazar called them. He had called to report seeing a man floating face down in a quiet part of the Borden River. A police wagon soon arrived and they fished the man out of the water He was dead.
The man was old, barefoot, wearing large brown corduroy trousers and a tattered and torn blue shirt. There was nothing in his pockets. He had a large metal cross around his neck and on his left middle finger a ring in the shape of a skull with a small green stone in the left eye socket, the other socket was empty. No one recognized him.
Doctor Skinner, the Bordentown Medial Examiner, received the corpse to begin his examination. He was to determine time and cause of death and any other important information he could find about the mysterious dead man.
While this was happening Boris Klipton, Professor of Art History at Bordentown State Teachers College, was way upstream. Sitting by the river, he was working on his latest book. It was an account of recent unsolved art thefts.
During his interview with Detective Rice Turner, Brett Salazar, testified of hearing four gunshots in the distance long before he saw the body. When Detective Turner asked him what he was doing at the river, Brett answered that he was planning to fish but had forgotten his fishing gear and was about to go home when he spotted the dead man floating in the water.
----------------------------------------
Section 2
At around 3 p. m. Professor Klipton gathered up his papers, put them in his briefcase and got back in his car. He noticed some lint and bits of cloth on the seat, brushed them off on to the floor, put down his briefcase and drove to Sam's Place.
Sam Newitt opened his general store and gas station about 25 years ago. It was on the outskirts of town, away from all the bustle, which is the way he liked it. He would get business from folks leaving Bordentown on their way home and others who were passing through. He did a good business.
Sam was a good man, but he had one nasty habit. He liked to go down to the river with his rifle and shoot birds.
When Professor Klipton arrived he found Hank, Sam's part time help. When asked, Hank didn't know where Sam was but thought he was probably out shooting. Klipton filled up the gas tank, bought a few items for his dinner and drove home.
The dead man came to Doctor Skinner's office in a body bag. He and Ivan, his assistant, opened the bag and as they did Skinner immediately put a large towel over the dead man's face and upper body. Then he dismissed Ivan for the day and went to work.
-----------------------------------
Section 3 tomorrow
DB
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Spin The Top
The real teacher is endurance.
Lawrence Durrell
*****************
Some wise person once said that we shouldn't complain about old age because it's a privilege denied to many. I say, if someone asks you your age. tell them, but start by saying "I'm only...." Thus, I'm only 71. I have a lot to learn. But I also have accumulated 7 decades of learning.
Some folks get bored after they retire and go searching around for something to do to keep them busy. Others are so glad to retire from their hum drum jobs they immediately seek adventure. I spent my life in show business. There are many things one can say about that world. It is aggravating, difficult, insecure and filled with irascible people. But the one thing no one can say about it is that it's boring.
I must write again about the first major influence in my professional life, Edward. When I first met him I realized that, even though we were quite different personalities, he really understood theatre. So I went to work for him. Edward's teacher was Maria Ouspenskaya, a Russian actress who had been trained at the Moscow Art Theatre under the direction of the famous Constantine Stanislavski. She eventually came to New York, appeared on Broadway and then went to Hollywood.
One day Edward told me that Ospenskaya had said to him she was going to screw into him an energy cell of enthusiasm that would last the rest of his life, and she did. And then he said to me. "I'm going to do the same thing to you." And he did.
Through his teaching, his directing, his spirit, personality and grasp of life, and through what he demanded of me and expected of me as an actor, I started to grow, and I've been growing ever since. I have learned to see the vibrating life in the color of the rose, to hear the elemental earth song in the strings of the cello and to feel when the tide changes.
The first thing he said to me, as director to actor was "Can't you find something to do?" That remark set a top spinning inside of me that has never stopped, and that was about 50 years ago. As a result of that simple question from the person I respected more than any other, I have had and still have an enduring enthusiasm for art, ideas, people and events. Though circumstances have deprived me of being a performing artist, I've translated that enthusiasm into writing and painting.
Another remark that has kept me going over the years is this famous quote from Winston Churchill, "Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never give up." You can try giving up, you can moan, gripe, scream with rage, kick the dog (no, don't do that) and feel sorry for yourself. But no matter how much trash life throws at you, if you don't give up you will withstand it, outlast it and endure your way through it. And endurance is the real teacher.
Activity is a way of life for me. I don't have to discipline myself to be busy. I don't feel any obligation to do anything, except something I've put off for too long because I was busy doing something else. And all because a man I trusted set my top spinning many years ago with an energy cell of enthusiasm which has lasted, as he promised, the rest of my life, so far. But I'm only 71 so there's a lot more growing to do.
Thank you Edward.
DB
**************
WEEKEND CONTEST
(People say they like my weekend puzzles and look forward to them and then they don't do them.)
"What's in a name?" Your challenge is to give me a humorous name beginning with the same letters that matches a persons career, work or major activity. For example:
The Russian Cosmonaut - Boris Blastov
The French cabdriver - Henri Honkalotte
The Irish mechanic - Tommy Tinker
(Come one folks it's fun and easy. The Irish puppeteer Mary O'Nett.)
Enter as often as you wish, be imaginative, have fun and good luck. The decision of the bucolic judge is final.
2 entries so far
DB - The Vagabond
***********************
Lawrence Durrell
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Some wise person once said that we shouldn't complain about old age because it's a privilege denied to many. I say, if someone asks you your age. tell them, but start by saying "I'm only...." Thus, I'm only 71. I have a lot to learn. But I also have accumulated 7 decades of learning.
Some folks get bored after they retire and go searching around for something to do to keep them busy. Others are so glad to retire from their hum drum jobs they immediately seek adventure. I spent my life in show business. There are many things one can say about that world. It is aggravating, difficult, insecure and filled with irascible people. But the one thing no one can say about it is that it's boring.
I must write again about the first major influence in my professional life, Edward. When I first met him I realized that, even though we were quite different personalities, he really understood theatre. So I went to work for him. Edward's teacher was Maria Ouspenskaya, a Russian actress who had been trained at the Moscow Art Theatre under the direction of the famous Constantine Stanislavski. She eventually came to New York, appeared on Broadway and then went to Hollywood.
One day Edward told me that Ospenskaya had said to him she was going to screw into him an energy cell of enthusiasm that would last the rest of his life, and she did. And then he said to me. "I'm going to do the same thing to you." And he did.
Through his teaching, his directing, his spirit, personality and grasp of life, and through what he demanded of me and expected of me as an actor, I started to grow, and I've been growing ever since. I have learned to see the vibrating life in the color of the rose, to hear the elemental earth song in the strings of the cello and to feel when the tide changes.
The first thing he said to me, as director to actor was "Can't you find something to do?" That remark set a top spinning inside of me that has never stopped, and that was about 50 years ago. As a result of that simple question from the person I respected more than any other, I have had and still have an enduring enthusiasm for art, ideas, people and events. Though circumstances have deprived me of being a performing artist, I've translated that enthusiasm into writing and painting.
Another remark that has kept me going over the years is this famous quote from Winston Churchill, "Never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never give up." You can try giving up, you can moan, gripe, scream with rage, kick the dog (no, don't do that) and feel sorry for yourself. But no matter how much trash life throws at you, if you don't give up you will withstand it, outlast it and endure your way through it. And endurance is the real teacher.
Activity is a way of life for me. I don't have to discipline myself to be busy. I don't feel any obligation to do anything, except something I've put off for too long because I was busy doing something else. And all because a man I trusted set my top spinning many years ago with an energy cell of enthusiasm which has lasted, as he promised, the rest of my life, so far. But I'm only 71 so there's a lot more growing to do.
Thank you Edward.
DB
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WEEKEND CONTEST
(People say they like my weekend puzzles and look forward to them and then they don't do them.)
"What's in a name?" Your challenge is to give me a humorous name beginning with the same letters that matches a persons career, work or major activity. For example:
The Russian Cosmonaut - Boris Blastov
The French cabdriver - Henri Honkalotte
The Irish mechanic - Tommy Tinker
(Come one folks it's fun and easy. The Irish puppeteer Mary O'Nett.)
Enter as often as you wish, be imaginative, have fun and good luck. The decision of the bucolic judge is final.
2 entries so far
DB - The Vagabond
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009
"Yes" Yielding 5/26/09
If you have enthusiasm, you have a very dynamic, effective companion to travel with you on the road to Somewhere.
Loretta Young
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Enter. You don't need a passport.
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My town is a mowed lawn, clipped hedge, pruned tree kind of community. A suburb, in other words. There is only one place where things grow wild, a mini forest on the edge of town. It's owned by The Nature Conservancy. It used to be a fairly good sized tract of uncultivated land but most of it has been turned into a parking lot. What's left is a narrow strip of wilderness between the lot and the wetland which drains off of the Delaware River.
There's a primitive walking trail through the little forest. But it's mostly hidden from view and so it's where the teenagers like to go sometimes to drink their beer, smoke their dope and do whatever else they do (don't ask). So the trail sometimes has some unwholesome litter on it. The trees and bushes don't mind. And neither do I.
I always visit the place in the fall to enjoy the rich foliage or sit on a log and watch the ducks. Or I can walk along the trail and pretend I'm lost in a far northern woods and maybe will see a chipmunk, a wild hare or a deer, if I'm lucky. No such critters abide there, alas. It's also a great place to watch the spring trying to exert itself, unencumbered by human help.
I decided this morning to write something on this topic of enthusiasm. But as I thought about the problems facing me, financial and physical, I wondered what I could justify being enthusiastic about. Then I read "The Hidden Side Of A Leaf" in Indigo's journal http://deafscreams.blogspot.com where she directs our attention to look beyond the surface and find beauty where it's hidden. I used to draw and paint leaves and I remember investigating the undersides of them. The reverse side of a leaf is like a gentle echo of what's on the obverse side. It's the part that doesn't catch the sun.
My life is hard. I can't go painlessly walking down the street to catch the spring sun or go strolling easily through the petite forest. But when I do I can look up at the trees and admire my brothers, the hidden forest leaves.
The journey goes on, and it's either done with depression and sorrow or it's done with the effective and dynamic joy of one who is glad to share life's hidden beauties with his humble companions.
DB The Vagabond
_________________
Put on your dancing shoes and greet the day.
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Loretta Young
********************
Enter. You don't need a passport.
--------------------------
My town is a mowed lawn, clipped hedge, pruned tree kind of community. A suburb, in other words. There is only one place where things grow wild, a mini forest on the edge of town. It's owned by The Nature Conservancy. It used to be a fairly good sized tract of uncultivated land but most of it has been turned into a parking lot. What's left is a narrow strip of wilderness between the lot and the wetland which drains off of the Delaware River.
There's a primitive walking trail through the little forest. But it's mostly hidden from view and so it's where the teenagers like to go sometimes to drink their beer, smoke their dope and do whatever else they do (don't ask). So the trail sometimes has some unwholesome litter on it. The trees and bushes don't mind. And neither do I.
I always visit the place in the fall to enjoy the rich foliage or sit on a log and watch the ducks. Or I can walk along the trail and pretend I'm lost in a far northern woods and maybe will see a chipmunk, a wild hare or a deer, if I'm lucky. No such critters abide there, alas. It's also a great place to watch the spring trying to exert itself, unencumbered by human help.
I decided this morning to write something on this topic of enthusiasm. But as I thought about the problems facing me, financial and physical, I wondered what I could justify being enthusiastic about. Then I read "The Hidden Side Of A Leaf" in Indigo's journal http://deafscreams.blogspot.com where she directs our attention to look beyond the surface and find beauty where it's hidden. I used to draw and paint leaves and I remember investigating the undersides of them. The reverse side of a leaf is like a gentle echo of what's on the obverse side. It's the part that doesn't catch the sun.
My life is hard. I can't go painlessly walking down the street to catch the spring sun or go strolling easily through the petite forest. But when I do I can look up at the trees and admire my brothers, the hidden forest leaves.
The journey goes on, and it's either done with depression and sorrow or it's done with the effective and dynamic joy of one who is glad to share life's hidden beauties with his humble companions.
DB The Vagabond
_________________
Put on your dancing shoes and greet the day.
*******************
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