In another lifetime, I was involved in Theatre. I went to school and received both a Bachelor and Masters in Theatre, having developed a love for it in High School and much to my parents' chagrin. ( I was a Theatre geek way before Glee ever made it fashionable). It was something my husband wanted me to go back to but with his illness, it wasn't practical. Widowhood has a way of re-wiring your brain (for want of a better explanation), and sometimes the things you were able to, you can't. There are some wonderful instances, however, when the universe gives you a break and you get to go back to those things. Such is the case with my friend, Karen.
A couple of weeks ago, I went into NYC to hear her give a staged reading of her script, "It Is What It Is" at Jimmy's #43 in the Village. In it, she shares her own unique experience of what it is like to be a young widow. We widows always say, "I hope you never have to understand what widowhood is like" (trust us on this - you don't ever want to have to "Get It"), but "It Is What It Is" is a crash course in the matter. Moving, haunting, and beautiful, it gave the uninitiated in the audience a glimpse into widowhood, and my widowed friends and I laughed and cried, all of us sadly all too familiar of the journey we share.
Karen asked me to do a portfolio shoot (for when she becomes famous - and she will!), and I was happy to oblige.
PS - I also have to mention the day of the reading was the Santa Pub Crawl down in the Village. Hundreds upon hundreds of people dressed up like Santa imbibing lots of Christmas cheer. Talk about worlds colliding - how do you explain drunk Santa to a five year old? :)
