As I sat down at my computer this evening ; I was thinking about what I wanted to work on to fulfill my 15 minute daily writing quota, and I was scrolling through Facebook (avoiding doing the edits to my play that has a reading next week), when I saw one of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen and it brought tears to my eyes and I realized what this week’s plunder will be...
There is a strength and spirit in her that is rare and precious to find. When you think of Mona Lisa’s smile, it’s not really her smile that is intriguing; it is how she peers at you while you stare at her smile. This is what Laura-Jeanne does. She has a patient truth in life that is captured in her every moment. She is entirely human. She wants to live a peaceful life with all that she needs and to be one with the natural rhythm of things. Laura is a rock. She is there to support you when you really need it. She is always there when you need her most.
LAURA-JEANNE aka “Wicksted” (sorry, Luc!) or Yoga, Barefoot Queen of the Garden / Someone I’m honoured to call one of my closest friends
Laura is one of those few people in life where your soul can go to rest. There is no unsafe zone; you can be yourself without any pretensions. You have seen each other in the worst of times and at the best of times. There is no reason to hide. For me, she is beauty and grace incarnate. It is so rare to find a person like this; and even rarer to be able to have one in your life for well over a decade.
Laura-Jeanne inspires me because she never stops working towards her goals; no matter which way the path may lead. She is never discouraged when she meets obstacles or road blocks: she finds a way around them. The eternal friend; she is the person I turn to when feeling low or like I’m not very good at what I do and she is there to turn things around.
Recently, I was contacted by a friend about putting up a play that I wrote in my last year of university. I've always kept this play in my back pocket: though I do feel that it suffers from what I call “First Play Syndrome” and borders on too personal. Laura-Jeanne has always been the one to bring it back to the forefront of my mind and through some careful edits; I've been able to make it more palpable for myself (and hopefully the audience). This has been my writing focus this week.
Since it looks like Empty Boxes will be going onstage in the New Year; I've been spending a lot of time with it: more than I have since I wrote it; 7 years ago. It has been Laura-Jeanne that has convinced me that it might be worth showing and whenever I get discouraged; it is her voice I hear in the back of my mind, pushing me to continue. If it had not been for her, this play would have ended up in a file on my computer; never seeing the light of day again. Laura’s constant pressure to give it a real life has kept me going back and giving it a once over every couple years.
Those are some of the amazing things about this woman; but, what I’m stealing from her this week is her ability to stand up for what she wants and her ability to communicate those goals to others. She is able to be firm and assertive without being mean or bitchy. She says things out of love and the desire to see others succeed. These are things I’m going to need over the coming months; as I endeavour to mount the first full production of a show that has been written by me and only me. It’s a scary process; I equate it to what a parent must feel like on the first day of school. It is terrifying sending something that you've created out into the world for all to see and judge. I need a little of that rock to keep me grounded and much of Laura-Jeanne’s tact to keep me from saying something stupid. Eeek! Glad I have a friend like this to call on...
PS – Stay tuned for updates about Laura-Jeanne – She will be launching a blog of her own shortly discussing how to lead a more natural life while being an urban professional in the city.
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