Beggars Can Be Choosers

An older man approached me as I walked out onto the street in midtown. He was asking if someone could buy him some food. I had $2 in cash, so I asked him if he wanted to walk with me to a the street vendor on the corner and we would see what we could get for $2. The answer: a hot dog. I paid the vendor and asked for a hot dog.

Him: "Wait a second. I wanted chicken and rice."

Me: "I only have $2."

Him: "But I wanted to get some chicken."

Me: "I only have $2."

He lit up his cigarette and huffed and puffed.

Me: "Sorrry."

We parted ways.

I guess beggars can be choosers.

Have you ever gotten what you wanted and then decided you wanted something else?  Or realized you weren't specific enough?  I do this all the time!

From the The Things You've Made

It’s the end of the year, so I wanted to put some kind of a gift or offering out there to show my gratitude for all the wonderful people in my life and my many blessings.  Unfortunately, I’m the kind of guy who prefers cash.  But my wife and kids keep telling me that homemade gifts mean more.  I’m coming to learn that, much of the time, they're right.  So I’m taking a risk and putting something out there that I made.

This year I was commissioned to write a new musical.  This is the first song I wrote for the show.  It’s appropriately called “From the Things You've Made”.  I recorded the demo in our living room.  I had fun strumming my cheap guitar, playing the fiddle, and I even did the vocals.  (The story is set in pre-Civil War America, but I channeled a bit of a British Isle’s accent since the story is laced with immigrant characters.)  So download it, put it on your “Favorites” playlist and enjoy.  But above all, I hope you find comfort from the things you’ve made, whether in the year past or the year to come.

Happy New Year!

DOWNLOAD: From the Things You've Made 

I Want to Surf Like Abraham Lincoln

“Lincoln is truly the most progressive man of the age, because he always moves in conjunction with propitious circumstances, not waiting to be dragged by the force of events or wasting strength in premature struggles with them.”


I’m reading Team of Rivals, a biography by Doris Kearns Goodwin about Lincoln and the political rivals he brought into his presidential cabinet. It’s a light, 754 page (not counting the appendix) beach-type book that I thought would be fun. And I have not been disappointed. But for some reason this quote really captivated me. To compare Lincoln to a surfer, I would say, ‘Lincoln knew how to catch a wave’, and I admire that about him.

What if My Kids Never Write a Hit Show?!

Courtesy of Corbis.com

Dear Readers,

This started out as a long winded Facebook status update, but apparently it's 1,111 characters too long.  So, here it is:

I just watched the West Wing episode last night about trying to fix Social Security, and it got me thinking.  (Unlike most television out there.)  My parents will be retiring soon and rightfully collecting their well earned Social Security.  (Love you, Mom!)  And I'm glad they will get to enjoy this benefit.

That said...

I'm fortunate because I will be writing or producing a hit show (or both) that will set me up for life.  But for anyone else not in those circumstances, what is the impact of paying a substantial percentage of your income--calculate the totals on your pay stub next payday--into a knowingly broken program that will not be there for us or our children?  (At least I'm not banking on it.)  Think of all the IKEA furniture you could buy.  Think of all the Apple stock you could buy.  Think of all the startup capital you'd have for a business.  Or all the overpriced college tuition you could pay.  Shouldn't there be a law against something like that? 

Now I believe what Warren Buffet says:  "Taxes are the price we pay for living in a civilized society", but if Social Security were Social Security Inc., I'd be curious to see his valuation of that company.  Would he buy, or invest?  Becuase that's what all of today's income earners under the age of 60 are doing.  Part of me wants to "withhold rent" to gently persuade some congress and some president to find a solution.  (Sorry, guys.  You asked for the job.  Ball's in your court.)  Of course that would land me in some kind of white-colar-civil-disobedience prison with the likes of Martha Stewart, but I'm willing to take that kind of a risk.  But I'm not willing to risk my kids' futures.  What if they never write a hit show?

Headwinds

Nantucket: Flying into the headwinds.

I had the good fortune this past week to direct a theatre project out on Nantucket Island, off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Between the rehearsal and the performance I went for a run on the beach. Hurricane Igor was wreaking havoc over Bermuda and Nantucket was feeling the spin-off effects of the high winds. As I ran down the beach I couldn’t help but notice the seagulls who were making the most of—if not thoroughly enjoying—the high winds. As someone who loves the wind, whether it be sailing, kite flying or just driving with the windows down, I could relate. But here’s the cool thing: the seagulls would take 2-3 casual steps into the window and the next thing you knew, they were lifted skyward.

I couldn’t help but think about the connections between headwinds on the beaches and in life. So often I try to fly perpendicular to the wind and end up getting blown off course or crashing. Sometimes I just hunker down in the sand and try to wait it out. But I believe that if we face the wind and angle our wings just right, we can soar. But we need to take the two or three steps in the right direction that will help us launch.

I took this picture on the north shore of Nantucket. The interesting thing is that all the seagulls were holding still in the air. They peacefully rode out the hurricane spin-off and used the strong winds to gain altitude.

What are the headwinds of you might be facing?
What angle are you flying at?
What are the two to three steps that you can take into the wind?

The Power of Doing Nothing

So I recently took a trip, and while traveling I learned an unusual lesson:  The Power of Doing Nothing.  As a fairly ambitious, no-nonsense, highly motivated kind of guy, this was a surprise to me.  One of my challenges in life is I feel I almost always have an agenda.  Not necessarily a hidden agenda, or a bad agenda, but just some specific goal in mind.  My focus is that goal.  I will not be distracted.  Even worse, I will not be bored.  I do not like to waste time.  My kids know this.  My wife knows this.  So when I discoverd The Power of Doing Nothing, it was completely by accident.  Here's how it went down:

How to Be a Kid Again

This past week I attended a home school conference at a small private college in the beautiful, rolling hills of the Shennandoah Valley.  There were several interesting classes, and I met some fascinating people.  Yet for some reason, one of the bits that has most stuck with me was a short children's book I just happened to peruse after a 30 minute presentation on teaching math to children.

I've never been particularly interested in calculaing the circumference of the earth, or even math for that matter (I primarily work in theatre), yet I found myself leafing through "The Librarian Who Measured the Earth."  Not exactly a riveting title, but by the time I got to the end (~16 pages), I was captivated.  Using a well, a long stick and the sun, Eratosthenese (born in North Africa over 2000 years ago) was not only able to measure the distance to the center of the earth, but also accurately calculate the circumference of the earth. 

As technology improved, his calculation held up, and it turns out he was accurate to within 200 miles.  Not a bad margin of error considering the earth's circumference is 25,000 miles.  So why was I so interested?  I guess because this was such elegant thinking.  It showed true ingenuity and resourcefulness; attributes I would like to cultivate in myself and my children.  And I liked the author's dedication:

"To all the children who dare to ask questions and continue to wonder."

It makes me want to be a kid again : )