The Dreaming You

Giving Yourself A Second Act

Until recently I didn’t know that movies had three acts.  It has been part of my screenwriting education to see the structure underneath the movies I love.  Now when I watch movies, I know how to look for the things that happen at 30 minutes, 60 minutes and so on.  What has recently struck me are the things that happen at those same points in our lives.

 

In a screenplay, one page of the written word translates to roughly one minute on film.  I believe in our lives – the ratio is often closer to one year.  In a film, the first 30 pages are about “the normal world”.  This is when we find out what it’s like to be the main character.  In life - this is when we find out what it means to be us.  Then long about 30 pages – there is the Decision to Act.  It is this decision that takes us in to Act II – the meat of the movie – when our hero leaves the world they know and goes out on an adventure.

 

So here I sit at 35 and I realize that I am on the cusp of my very own Act II.  I am contemplating my life as a storyteller.  I plan to continue my beautiful day job and some wonderful opportunities there.  I also plan to continue taking my life and my understanding of it into writing.  How exciting is that!

 

As with any adventure, I’m not sure where this story goes next, but I am ready for the journey.  As I take the first steps  and continue to learn a new craft - I know this is right.  So often in our world we are taught to fear these changes in life.  We call natural transitions a “crisis” – when it is actually a gift.  It’s being able to look at your life and give yourself an Act II.

Unafraid and Little Bit Unreasonable

I really enjoy working with Barri Evins because she is teaching me about the power of being unreasonable - first hand.  Barri is a Hollywood film producer and teacher I met through Cinestory.   She has had a long career in the industry – which she partially attributes to being unreasonable.  How else could you persist in an industry that is famous for exclusivity and rejection?  As she said,  “Any reasonable person would pack up and go home.  But where is the fun in that?”

 

So how has she done it?  I think the key is to understand that ultimately she is fearless.  She will ask for anything and work for anything if it is something that matters to her.  Here’s an example:  Barri once decided that the children in the Head Start programs she was working with should have the same warm Santa experience that other children have when they receive their gifts for the Holidays.  There would be no more plastic chairs and boring backdrops. 

 

So this nice Jewish girl decided to design sets for all of the Head Start Programs her literacy charity was working with that year.  First she built a small six inch model and then it was simply a matter of taking the steps – one after the other – until every school had their own fairy tale land complete with working lights, fake snow – you name it.  Ultimately it was a matter of asking a lot of people to work together to support a common vision.

 

That’s how she does it.  Barri starts with a vision of where she is going – and then it’s just a matter of taking the steps and asking for what she needs – often beginning with the first thing she does know how to do on her own.  Frankly, this is exactly what I needed to learn right now as I work to build this site.  I have to be unafraid – whether I am approaching people to be interviewed or simply asking you to take your time to read my posts.

 

What a powerful combination – Unreasonable and Unafraid!  Just think what we can accomplish with those two simple traits.  So – Thank you to Barri for being a role model and for believing in me and my Unreasonable Dream of building this site!!!

 

Here’s to being Unafraid!!

Puffin Power

I have always been afraid of drowning - deathly afraid of drowning.  I have been afraid of this ever since I can remember.  No – I didn’t have a terrifying experience as a child.  I am a good swimmer – but I have always been afraid.  I recently had the opportunity to overcome this fear and push past it in dramatic fashion.  All of it inspired by a man named Lou.  

I met Lou on a National Geographic Cruise to Alaska with Lindblad Expeditions.  The cruise was an amazing experience, not the least of which, because you meet great people when you travel with them.  Lou DeLustro is the kind of guy that grabs life by the horns – whether that involves a martini mixed with glacial ice or a very icy dip in the ocean.  Lou had the idea to go swimming in 44 degree water and crazy me – I thought that was a good idea too.  Turns out - I was tired of being afraid. 

So what is it like to swim – even briefly - in water that cold?   Well it’s cold – crazy cold.  But it isn’t terrifying.  I can admit that all plans to swim around or see who could stay in the water the longest were quickly abandoned.  But being cold and in the water – was not the end of the world.  Yes -I was highly motivated to get back in the boat – but as luck would have it – and the order in which we jumped – I stayed in the longest.  And I am fine.  Actually I am better than fine – because I am no longer afraid. 

So you may wonder what this trip has to do with Childhood dreams.   It has to do with fearlessness and finding friends along the way.  Turns out that five people made the dive that day.  We nicknamed ourselves the Puffins.  Puffins are these wonderful birds that are stuck somewhere between being designed for flying and diving.  I absolutely love them.  You should see them work like hell to get airborne.  Most birds have these light airy bones so that they can fly easily, instead Puffins have bones that are heavy enough for them to dive in the water and catch fish.  I think they make the perfect analogy for dreamers.  You have to work hard to fly and be heavy enough to dive – and ultimately face your fears. Which I got to do!

 So I want to say thank you to my companions in the dive - Lou, Angie, Randeen and Cindy - as well as the people who waited for us with warm towels and open arms –Dane, Hanna, Chuck, Frank, Sue, Linda, and Billy.

And to Lou in particular – I am raising a glass to you becoming the inspiration for many more people’s adventures!

 

Legal note – This was not Lindblad's idea.  We did this at our own risk and I am not asserting that you should risk hypothermia to prove a point – only that I did!  LOL