The Coyote and the Woodpecker

From a Native American Myth:

Coyote, who is too clever for his own good, found himself stuck in a hollow log. Along came Woodpecker who started peck, peck, pecking on the log. Coyote complained and complained about the noise that Woodpecker was making. "Stop all that racket!" Coyote said, but Woodpecker did not hear and kept pecking away. Finally, Woodpecker pecked a small hole into the log, letting in a little light. Coyote realized at that moment that Woodpecker could help him and started yelling, "Get me out of here!" This frightened Woodpecker and he flew away. Coyote became very quiet and still and, eventually, Woodpecker flew back to the log and continued pecking. After a while Woodpecker pecked through the log and freed Coyote.

The moral: That which irritates us could well be out salvation.

The noise of Woodpecker irritated Coyote. When Coyote realized that Woodpecker could help him he scared Woodpecker away in his desperation. Finally, when he became still and patient, Woodpecker freed him from the log.

Liberation irritates the parts of us that keep us stuck.

Beautiful things

I realized over the course of the past couple of months that I like giving myself flowers every week or so. It started out with some flowers in the house for Thanksgiving and then Gerber Daisies for Christmas. Now, I realize that I have had fresh flowers (not including the jungle of plants in the living room) in my home since then. This week it's 20 pink and red tulips. Eleven Bucks! That's all it took to make my space a little nicer and happier (we won't discuss the pile of stuff on the dining room table waiting for me to finish a couple of different art projects). It's such a joy to see them every day and know that I'm doing this tiny thing that makes me so happy, especially in this winter weather. I wish it would either get warmer or snow! This cold is not so much fun.

I Love My Job...Revisited

Aquila Theatre came to the DWT last Friday, Saturday & today. They are a fantastic company of British and American actors who do the classics. Last year they did Hamlet & Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and this year they did Canterbury Tales and Romeo & Juliet.

Canterbury Tales were quite good, but R&J was superb! I have never seen one so good. What is the best about this particular production is that there are 6 actors, and the audience picks who plays who. Saturday's production had a woman as Romeo, a woman as Juliet (there are only 2 women in the company) and men as Lady Capulet and Nurse. All played multiple parts. I know the play well and I still cried at the end. I was in awe of the mastery of character and language these actors possess.

It was all very minimal (as you would guess with only 6 actors) and just perfect. The set was a 20 foot wooden octagon center stage and black chairs on the sides of the stage with props and and costumes (natural colored muslin pieces over black boots, black pants and black poets shirts). The balcony scenes were so well done. The actors delivered all the lines down stage with Romeo farther down stage than Juliet, who was only 6 inches higher but had a chair to use. I never for a minuted doubted that they were gazing into each other's eyes.

And I got to watch it and get paid, too.

Life is good