LIFE AND LESSONS AFTER “POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE”

As I began writing this blog, I realized it was 8 years ago today May 13th that I graduated with my BFA in Acting degree!  I cannot believe it has been that long already.  Although it seems like yesterday, and I feel as though I haven’t aged at all, I have, in fact, changed and experienced quite a lot, good and bad, since.  In essence, I have continued to learn valuable lessons even after my schooling days.

Since graduation I have become an aunt; lived in what has become my beloved New York City; worked at Atlantic Records; experienced, first hand, the horrors of September 11th and how New Yorkers truly united as one to help after the fact; stood center stage on Broadway; walked down the middle of the street in Times Square with snow up to my knees after a blizzard; met and worked with Julia Roberts; moved across the country; gotten a CA license plate, something I always wanted growing up; had my identity impersonated on-line; guest starred on several TV shows; been at a party with Prince; gotten to play my cousin Zita Johann and recreate her famous scenes opposite Boris Karloff from “The Mummy;” been turned into a comic book character for “Scary Monsters Magazine;” spoken about acting to an auditorium filled with middle school students, which was a true joy; sat on a jury for a week long trial; attended red carpet events; received touching fan letters and am still amazed anyone is a “fan;” started my own card line; traveled to Prince Edward Island with friends, gained a love for sushi; appeared on my teenage favorite soap opera “Y&R;” felt an earthquake; and, among many others, was given the opportunity to document my journey as an actor here with FIB.

They always say that “time flies when you’re having fun” and seems to speed up as you get older, to which I can attest.  Sometimes it seems that every time I turn around another year has flown by, and, as in today’s case, the next thing I know, 8 years have passed since I walked across the Taylor Theatre stage at UNCG and was handed my diploma, with my amazing and supportive family sitting in the audience rooting me on, something they continue to do today.

In that moment, I had no real idea what the future held.  In fact, I had planned to move to LA upon graduation from college.  But instead I detoured to NYC after getting a call from a friend with whom I had taken acting classes at HB Studio in New York, back when I was still in high school.  She was looking for a roommate, so off I went, and I am so happy that I did.  Honestly, I sometimes wish I had stayed in the Big Apple a little longer, but they also say “things happen for a reason.”  I was, at that time, eager to move, and had I stayed I might never have experienced some of the above.  Quite possibly, I may never have teamed up with FIB, and, therefore, this very blog may never have been written.

As some of you may know, LA and the industry have lost a bit of its luster for me since my arrival 5 years ago.  I will be the first to admit that I may not fully appreciate all that this city has to offer, and it is a well-known fact that I prefer NYC over LA.  That said, I was amongst the bright lights on Sunset Blvd. last night, just before midnight.  As I drove down the then fairly quiet main part of the strip, I passed the Best Western Hotel, with beautiful Bougainvillea in fabulous fuchsia covering the front of it, right near the House of Blues.  I was flooded with the emotions and memories of arriving at that very hotel, from college in Greensboro, NC, 8 years ago to work on a KRYStAL and Backstreet Boys music video shoot, filled with pure wonder.

I remember how exciting LA was for me then and how, when I arrived at LAX and walked out into the warm night air, surrounded by tall, sleek, palm trees, it was a truly magical place for me.  Although I was to be in LA for only a couple days, I could not wait to be actually living here after graduation.  Needless to say, as I passed the hotel last night, on what was just another day, so to speak, I realized just how different and rather mellow my experience and feelings are about LA and the same location today.

Suddenly, it hit me, and, in that moment, I decided to instantly soak up what was surrounding me.  Once again, I noticed the unique Sunset Strip sparkle and the many famous landmarks it houses.  Landmarks I often passed without really recognizing because I live here.  I was quickly struck by just how lucky I am to live where I live, in the middle of a place so many only see on TV or in the movies, and it reminded me that LA is a place so many dream of one day simply visiting, let alone living.

This mini “ah ha” moment, as Oprah calls them, happened during what is a big year for me.  I will soon be entering a new decade of my life; something that has contributed to my reflection, and even projection of what I want and where I want, or hope, to be in the future.  Consequently, I am, once again, sitting here on May 13th with no real certainty of what the future holds.

Now, while part of that thought is rather scary for me, especially looking at my life outside of acting and seeing myself in a place so different from what I once thought, part is also very exciting and what life’s adventure is all about.  Ultimately, even after graduation you never really stop learning or experiencing new things.  No matter where you find yourself, there will always be life and lessons after “Pomp and Circumstance.”

“All of life is a journey which paths we take, what we look back on, and what we look forward to is up to us. We determine our destination, what kind of road we will take to get there, and how happy we are when we get there.” - Unknown