Finding Your Ikigai

  Ikigai: Something one lives for;  purpose in life Dharma:  Duty Over the past seven years, I’ve been teaching a weekly “Mind/Body/Spirit” class at the Jewish Guild for the Blind.  This is the organization I was originally introduced to by our theatrical union, AFTRA (prior to SAG-AFTRA merger), which gave their membership the ability to learn broadcasting skills as a volunteer reader for the visually-impaired at InTouch Networks supported and housed for 30 years at The Guild.  Shortly after I came on board in 2008, however, the Guild stopped funding, closing down the 5 soundproof studios used daily by a rotating …

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Balance, Rhythm, Power

“First comes thought; then organization of that thought into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.”         Napoleon Hill    “They are all discoverers that think there is no land when they can see nothing but sea.”   Francis Bacon    “The Possible’s slow fuse is lit by the imagination.”  Emily Dickinson      Why can’t we imagine having it all?  We can.  Just not all at the same time.    How does Meryl Streep do it?  Well, I did notice she chose to make some really …

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Dancer Discipline

The 2015 Stars & Strikes for Autism bowling event raised $14,000 and I surprisingly got my groove back!  Each strike elicited squeals from not only me, but from the fans who actually still remember all of us and were lined up watching.  The event, spearheaded by Jerry VerDorn and Liz Keifer, also served as a reunion for my Guiding Light peers, many of whom I didn’t even have story with, however, because we shared the same studio, the same “stardust,” they are and will forever be, my friends for life. Amazing the power of television.  Real life vs reel life.  Focus …

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Grace Under Pressure

Dorothy Parker to Ernest Hemingway: “What exactly do you mean by guts?” Hemingway:  “I mean grace under pressure.” In Sports Illustrated article, “Exit Stage Center,” on Derek Jeter by Tom Verducci, Jeter states “I think part of that is focus.  So is work ethic.  You do things over and over again, and when you get in a situation you like to think it comes natural.”  Over the years, Jeter has walked the walk of his belief and stands now as someone who must have done the right thing. In my personal world, the discipline of a dancer falls under the …

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Inspiration

The call from a neighbor to my office asked, “Could you come home early?  There’s been a fire in your apartment and Steve needs you.”  I just thought Steve tried to light the pilot light in the oven & something blew.  When I got home, however, it seemed like everyone in our apartment building was in my apartment helping clear the debris from a fire.  A real fire.  I mean fire engines/911/& a completely gutted, black bedroom. The story goes that my Sir Galahad of a husband entered our apartment via the upstairs balcony in the middle of a raging …

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