What I Learned in 2017
Douglas Adams claimed that, "The answer to the ultimate
question of life, the universe and everything is 42." 2017 is the year I turned 42. I don’t know if I’ve found the answer to
life, the universe or even a fraction of everything. But I have learned a bit this year – even the
part when I was still 41. Here is a
list.
1. A massive crowd can be awesome and full of love. On January 21st, I joined the
masses in Boston and marched to resist the new White House. It was a beautiful, sunny Saturday. The sky was blue blue over the city
skyline. There were so many people the
movement along the streets was a crawl.
But everyone was kind, happy in solidarity, and ready to shout out in
protest – no. Scratch that. Celebration of the values we claim as our own
in America. A land where immigrants get
the job done. Where women have the right
to their own bodies and choices. Where
the arts are an important piece of education.
Where the environment deserves our love and not neglect. Where we are compassionate for the poor and
unlucky. It is easy to forget that
strength in all the shit that has happened since. But there is a reserve of strength that is
going to rise up. Yes. We can.
We will.
2. It is amazing how painting over the pink changes the
energy of a space. After a ridiculous
fight, we painted the lobby of Barre Players gray. A nice neutral color that helped to showcase
the stained glass and covered up the draining pink color. People were less grouchy. Well, sort of. But it is so much less alarming when you walk
into the theater now.
3. You can learn a lot about Irish political history while
waiting in the jury pool. My first
summons was in February (on an unnaturally 70 degree day) and I spent the four
hours looking up Eamon de Valera and the Irish Civil War on my phone. All because I sang a silly song about de
Valera in a play. It impressed on me how
a hero in one shadow of light is a villain in another.
4. Ten minutes is not enough to make a well rounded
decision. But sometimes that’s all you
get.
5. Oh shit. We made
it through two months of this guy? How
do we deal with another 46?
6. Thank God I have a background in theater. Best laid plans can go awry easily. Especially when there are events planned and
Mother Nature is experiencing mood swings.
Exhibit opening? First major
snowstorm of the winter. Farmers
Market? Power outage. Art in Bloom?
Snowstorm on April 1st.
Christmas show? Snow on the
opening weekend. Persephone, can you be
kinder to your mother this year?
7. There is no place as beautiful as the Northwest Coast of
Ireland. I want to live there.
8. Irish seaweed is a magic cure. I suspect there is science to validate
it. But carrageen moss will cure what
ails you. You can make a custard with
it. I have yet to master that though.
9. There are two kinds of bliss. One is sitting on an Irish island (that may
have been the inspiration for Treasure Island), listening to the waves crash against
the arches. The other is sitting in the
back room of a hotel with writers and friends, sharing sandwiches, glasses of
wine, and stories – both fiction and from life.
And no matter our varied backgrounds and ages and the fact we had only
collided for a week, we were all kindred.
I felt alive, so very alive, in both those moments.
10. I really liked the brown bread from the Teac Jack
pub. I came home and tried to make
it. Not as good. But good.
I made some more for Christmas.
It was better. I will try
again. It’s best toasted with butter and
my aunt Jackie’s jelly.
11. Things fall apart.
For a number of reasons, my supper club just stopped being this
year. People moved. Lives changed. I am really sad about that. But sometimes you can be really sad about
something and just know that it is… what it is.
I’m not done hosting dinner parties.
But it will be something different.
Because life… changes.
12. I’m ready to move.
So ready. I want less of a
commute – so I can take care of my dog and still feel okay about doing things
after work. I want to live in the city
where I work, to invest in the community that we talk about promoting. And, I’m just done with this little
town. I was already mostly there. But definitely done when discussing the
Charlottesville protests with a neighbor, who argued they aren’t Nazis. Just white people.
13. Puerto Rico. I
didn’t think I could surpass the disgust I felt about Katrina. It’s awful. Disgusting. Despicable.
It is now 101 days since Hurricane Maria and too many are without power,
forced to leave their homes, and living a life that I can’t even imagine. Then I started reading about what this
country has been doing to Puerto Rico since claiming it as a territory in the
19th century. We should be
ashamed.
14. Getting things out of the way at 5am makes a better
day. It seems a daunting task,
especially when it is cold and dark. But
get through those first 10 minutes and anything is possible. Most of the time.
15. Wine is a depressant. Exercise is an anti-depressant.
16. There are some really amazing good people, who do great
things. Through my job, I’ve gotten to
connect with community organizations like the Spanish American Center in
Leominster and the United Way in Fitchburg.
I am awestruck by the good those people do. And even in our little theater community, a
high school senior is hosting a concert for Puerto Rico. That is what is important. That is why we are here.
17. There is never enough time for things that we
rationalize don’t really matter. There is
always time to do the things we decide are important. We still make time to do the things we feel
we should, but aren’t necessary either to our own joy or the people who take it
for granted. We rationalize that some
things aren’t important enough to make time and then suddenly there isn’t any
more chance to do that. It’s all a
guessing game, but really a revelation of the heart.
So here’s to making 2018 about making time to learn more
things.
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