Solving Life's Problems

You don't have to be an actor to get a lot of the book, the ARTIST'S WAY, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. I was reminded of that when I had lunch with a friend who said she hadn't spoken to her dad in three months due to a misunderstanding.

The first thing that came to my mind about my friend's situation was the advice about writing a letter to the person with whom you want to say things to that you know may worsen a situation and that you may later regret. You write the letter and tear it up. I've never done that...but I have used my morning pages from the ARTIST'S WAY to unleash any anger I may have toward someone.

But, this daily act, which is one of two basic tools Julia recommends in this book, has far more reaching benefits than just that. It gives you clarity. It helps clean house...(don't I wish)...of the brain that is...clear away the clutter. What is getting in our way of being our authentic selves?
Julia says, "The pages lead us out of despair and into undreamed-of solutions." She states, "When I am stuck with a painful situation or problem that I don't think I know how to handle, I will go to the pages and ask for guidance."

Three 8 1/2 x 11 pages written in long hand of whatever comes into your mind. It's called stream of consciousness writing. It works.

And now, I've got to go back to rereading this wonderful book. I have to admit I've lapsed and not done my morning pages in quite some time. Maybe that's why I haven't been able to
post more often. My creativity has been stifled. Look out. I'm coming back...it says here
in fine print.

Italian Goulash

After moving out here from Ohio after college, I landed a job in Newport Beach, which happens to be where I met my husband. Being a newlywed, I was seeking new recipes. We had a potluck one day, and a nice lady named Rita shared her recipe for Goulash. I remember she used hamburger. Over the years, I've tweaked it a bit to fit our taste. I thought of this dish as more of a family meal on weekends, because it is so good leftover too.

I made it a few times for company, and much to my delight, everyone loved it. So, I thought I would share this with you. I made this dish for the cast of one of my plays on our rehearsal night, substituting Italian turkey sausage (it was spicy!), because I knew a few didn't eat meat. It was very good.

1 lb. hot Italian sausage
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 medium onion
1/4 chopped bell pepper
1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
1 can black beans, drained
1 T. parsley
1 T. crushed basil
1/2 tsp. ground oregano
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Remove sausage from casing. Brown in deep pan with 1 T. olive oil on medium high heat. Break up sausage into pieces after browning. Turn heat down to medium low and add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute for about 5 min.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and a little water. Add herbs and spices as noted above.
Cover and cook on low for about 25 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. Add macaroni and cook until macaroni is al dente (about 15 minutes). Add beans the last 10 minutes.
Serve w/parmesan cheese on top and crusty french bread.
I precede this entree with a salad.
Bon Appetit!

Diva Dish

If I hadn't gone about producing Butterflies are Free at my acting studio several years ago, I probably couldn't have told you who Eileen Heckart was. But, I researched the film role, and then learned Eileen had won an Oscar for her performance in that movie with Eddie Albert, Jr. and Goldie Hawn. She had also won Emmy's (for one...a guest starring role on Lou Grant) and
Tony's as well. In other words, one of those fabulous character actresses that you may not be able to identify by name but have enjoyed her work for years.

I ran across a book written by her son, Luke Yankee, last year. After thoroughly enjoying all the fantastic anecdotes he tells about his life with his mom and the many famous people with whom she worked and socialized, such as Marilyn Monroe, Paul Newman, Ethel Merman, Lucille Ball,
I heard about his one-man show where he tells all these great stories.

We had a chance to see his show tonight, and I must say it was all I expected it to be and more.
Luke sang a few heartfelt songs and included tape of some of his mom's roles on broadway and film.
But, one of the most touching moments for me was when he acted out the last scene in Butterflies are Free, which he hadn't gotten a chance to do with his mom because she had become ill. Through the magic of technology, he performed the scene with his mom's voice. It's obvious that Luke inherited a whole lot of talent.

He signed my book...and I thought, he's just as nice as I expected him to be. Try to see it if it comes anywhere near your area. You'll be glad you did.

In truth, after months of rehearsing, and one-week before we were to open, we were not able to perform Butterflies are Free. Nevertheless, I'm grateful for the opportunity to revisit that wonderful movie and discover all the interesting things about the life of Eileen Heckert.

Trust

I've never been very good at trusting. Maybe it's my Sicilian heritage, "Never sit with your back to the door."

I remember a management team exercise we had once where it turned out that having to trust was the secret to winning. Guess what...my team lost. I'm sure I was influential in the game.

Today, I finally got back to my yoga class after a three-month lay off...shame on me. Excuses like play rehearsals, the holidays, a week's vacation, etc., etc. Boy, did I miss it. However, I had a test today. (I'm getting back to the trust issue in case you're wondering.) I had just laid down on my mat as class was starting when I remembered I forgot to lock my car. Usually, I put my purse in the trunk before I leave home ever since I read an article that said baddies are on to the fact that women don't bring their purses into class, leaving them in the car. I forgot to do that this morning, so I put my purse in the trunk of my new car after I arrived. Maybe it was the fact I was admiring the Jag parked next to my Honda CRV before I went in that distracted me...but it just hit me that I didn't remember hitting the lock on the remote.

Choices...do I leave now and then be one of those people who come back in and make noise as everyone has just chilled out a little...or do I really test myself in "letting go of all worries" as Linda usually says at the beginning of class. Do I trust that the universe will send angels down to protect my car? There are usually people coming and going at the Center all the time, so I'm thinking, "Cami, relax. It will be there when you get out. It would be noticeable if someone were trying to steal your car."

Then I thought about the guy at the dealership when we bought the car who told us this car is one of the most stolen as he's trying to sell us the extra warranty and insurance.
I'm thinking...let's face it, not everyone would wait two months to get "green tea metallic." Now if it were silver, I might have to worry. In any event, I did finally relax thru class; and when I came out, there was my car safe and sound. Just as I was really getting used to it too.