By: Liz Monnier
Joe at the dog park with dog, Annie, says the days go by so fast it’s scary. Joe lost his wife last May, is retired and finds comfort among friends at the dog park. I am reminded of a counselor who asked me four years ago “do you trust in the process of life?” At our board retreat on Saturday, our facilitator speaks of the importance of process, rather than focusing on the product.
So this morning I am processing the idea of process. It’s a flow, it is accepting what is, letting thoughts flow in and out, it’s about breathing I think and about mixing things up, scattering them around and see how it settles and then doing that again. It’s T’ai Chi. Grant writing is a process. You write something and then leave it and then go back and read it fresh and then change it. Process is about looking at something again with fresh perspective and seeing something you didn’t see before.
Choreography is a process. Joe Goode, one of my mentors said “Don’t be precious with your material.” So, I look at one of my pieces in the upcoming Halloween show for our last rehearsal, “Flashbite,” tonight and I go through the process of seeing what the audience will see and look at it through a different lens.
On Tuesday night I’ll return to the dog park with Lolly McGee and see how Joe is doing with his process as each new fast coming day greets him as he faces yet another day without his beloved.