NEW DAY NEW BLOG

Good Morning,

So I'm back with a new blog to get what I'm calling my "new year" rolling. So, let's start with an explanation of this new concept: Operation Giggles!

With my new challenge and struggle to make a life in the big city, I have already been through a roller coaster of emotions, as is to be expected. I don't have the safe and comforting structure of school anymore, and that can be a scary thing. That said, it is also an amazing thing, given that I am free! I have room to breathe and do as I please and create the life that I want to live. Sometimes it is hard to remember this positive side when I am being turned down for auditions and not booking the acting work that I want, seeing other people around me and comparing myself to them. This is DANGEROUS! And completely ridiculous given that we are all on our own unique paths. 

Anyway, I have gotten a little sidetracked, but this is the background behind operation giggles. So what is it? I am challenging myself to find one NEW thing everyday that makes me to feel joy. It has to be a new discovery because I want to explore new sides of life that I have never experienced before, or have never experienced before in that particular way. 

My theory is that all of these new discoveries will lead to a fuller, more delightful life for me day to day, but will also enrich my actor-self with fuel. So: this is my new daily practice. 

I am going to start this off with a trip to the Toronto zoo that I took by myself on Thanksgiving. I woke up with an overwhelming desire to go to the zoo, and I decided to follow it. I had never been to the Toronto Zoo, and I knew it was far, but was a little surprised when it took my a good 2 hours to get there. That said, I had an amazing day, travel time included. It was the first long period of quiet that I have experienced in quite a while. At first I put my music on right away, listened to the entire soundtrack to "In the heights" which got me plenty pumped up, but after that I took off my music and sat with my thoughts. amazing things can happen when I do that, but it is so easy to pass those opportunities by.

When I got to the zoo, the first animal I encountered was a rhino, and he was unreal. He looked prosthetic to me at first, and then like a dinosaur. I couldn't quite relate what I was seeing to reality, until I started to realize he was completely irritated. He was lying in the sun but could not get comfortable, so he was trying to lie on his side, but then let out a sigh and rolled onto the other side, and flipped fully onto his back, until he collapsed on his belly and letting out a final "hhfff" gave up on the whole thing. I think I went through the same sequence this morning.

Of course I think my biggest giggles of the day came from the penguins, which is not surprising if you knew me when I was a kid. Penguins were my proclaimed favorite animal for the majority of my time growing up, despite only actually seeing them once in the flesh (or feathers and blubber I suppose.) Anyway, those little comedians just had to waddle around acting as they always did to make my day. Like all good humour, they are hilarious because they have no idea that people find them funny, they just innocently go on living. The peak moment was when two of them decided to chase around a reflection from a watch that was shining through the cage. It looked like an Abbot and Costello routine as every time it stopped or disappeared they would look at the other one in a questioning and almost accusatory way. After a mere second, they would then happily start to chase the light once again. Hilarity. 

All in all, a quiet and reflective, fun day. I left truly appreciating these creatures. I stood admiring a zebra for a very long time, absolutely mesmerized by its' beauty and grace, and so thankful to experience life in this way. I would say that's a pretty darn good start to this project.

Love and Kindness all.