Tag…you’re it!

We’re playing a game of tag and currently I‘m “it“. He’s been a bit on the grumpy side for the last couple of hours and I can tell that my incessant chatter is only making things worse but I can’t seem to stop talking.

I’m in a good mood. The day is sunny and the breeze is just cold enough to be refreshing. I want to chat on our walk through Griffith Park. The crunch, crunch of the powdery dirt and rock beneath my feet is satisfying and I can smell the dry grass braised by the sun as it sweeps across my face on the breeze. I’m hoping that something in my mindless, out-of-breath banter will strike a chord with him and make him laugh. No such luck.

It’s another full hour or so before our roles reverse. I’m not exactly sure when the switch happens- where he’s “it” and I’m the one feeling irate but it inevitably does. It’s almost as though we take turns punishing each other for the other’s grumpiness. Subconsciously we try to bring the other person UP when they’re down, but just when their mood seems to elevate, the other person throws their hands up in resignation as if to say- this is hopeless! Why should I try so hard to make you smile? So by the time one person wants to interact and be themselves again, the other person starts mumbling and making snide remarks. Oh, so now you want to talk to me? Now you’re in a good mood? Well, it’s just TOO LATE BUSTER!

Today we each take a turn before calling it quits. I mumble something about being sorry I made that comment and he apologizes in kind with a smile in his voice. It’s interesting how our sense of righteous self-indignation can come into play in the smallest of ways…similar to a game of tag.

The art of telling a tale…

I know, we’re really, really, good at this acting stuff!

His excitement about the class is palatable and the way he is reenacting the scene is starting to make me tear-up. “It was so tense!”Josiah’s face is animated as he takes me through an interaction he observed between the acting coach and the student who was moving step-by-step to a heart wrenching emotional breakdown. After soaking in the rest of Josiah’s observations about the class, I am completely convinced he needs to become a part of this man’s studio.

I sometimes wish I could step into the world of acting. I know! It’s completely absurd! Me! Acting! But I think those of us who feel compelled to tell stories can’t help ourselves. “Acting it out” is just another component of sharing a good story. What keeps me writing and not acting is the knowledge that when I begin to tell a tale (and those of you who know me can attest to this) I tend to elaborate far too much on the exciting spots and then get my facts and information all muddled somewhere between the adrenaline rush and the paralyzing desire to paint it well!

My verbal storytelling is a mess! Story times are much more beneficial for everyone if Hana has a backspace button!

Some of you can empathize when I say that there are few things in life that are more satisfying than the act of letting beautifully crafted sentences roll effortlessly off the tongue (I realize that “some” of you is probably more like “one or two” of you). I think I first became aware of this simple pleasure when I was in middle school. My mom would ask me to read aloud books like The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis, on long car rides to make the drive pass quickly and keep her awake at the wheel. I also have a sneaking suspicion it was an effort by my mom to boost my fragile confidence a little.

I was hooked on telling stories after that.

No, this is not a blog entry about me entering the acting realm. But you can just imagine how excited I feel about the prospect of running lines with my favorite person on a regular basis!