The One about Crabs in the Bucket.

As I've said in previous posts, I think birthdays are very special and should be treated so. However, I find it hard to make someone really feel special on his or her birthday when I'm 1,500 miles away. While I may not be able to take her out to her favorite restaurant or shower her with gifts throughout the day or wake her up ridiculously early and kidnap her to take her to breakfast from this far away, I can sure try to express how glad I am that she was born.
Mackenzie is a little over three years younger than me and yet one of the most understanding individuals I've ever known. She is absolutely wise beyond her years. When I first met her, I didn't really think that our acquaintanceship would grow into anything more than that, but as time went on, that was proved wrong. I have been able to call Mackenzie my best friend for almost five years now. (Yes, I have two best friends. That's okay, right?) She has been the person that I can literally talk non-stop to for hours on end. We laugh. We cry. We agree. We disagree. And I feel we have watched each other grow up so much in the last few years and have somehow remained consistently side-by-side.

So... that being said, if you haven't already (and you actually know Mackenzie), don't forget to tell her how much you love her. We're all lucky to have her in our lives.

...

Anyone who is a pursuing performer knows that every now and then you're given the chance to be a part of something that is kind of a big deal. Each performer experiences these moments in different ways, and each of these moments are just as important as the next person's.

This past weekend, the cast of A Tale of Two Cities was graced with the presence of an incredible woman named Jill Santoriello, who is the reason why each of us get to perform this extremely touching musical night after night.
Jill Santoriello wrote the music, the lyrics and the book/script to Tale. She and her producer flew out to Utah and spent Friday night and all day Saturday immersed in the production that each of us are so proud of. Her being there brought such a great energy to the piece, and we felt so lucky to have the opportunity to show her that we have been taking care of her "baby," as so many people have referred to it as. It's hard to explain to someone that, through her years of hard work and without even knowing it, a three-hour production can change a person's life; the process, the performances, the music, the story have all contributed to helping me grow not only as a performer, but as a human being, too. I am so grateful for the dedication she put into this body of work and I hope that she continues to amaze people with her genius.

It's almost time. Please, please, please come support A Good Grief Foundation in the "Days of Plenty" Benefit Concert on March 17th at the Historic Murray Theatre. You can purchase tickets here (for $10) or at the door (for $15).
The closer it is getting to this concert, the more excited I am getting. Please come be a part of this evening; like I've said before, it'll be so worth the cheap ticket price and you won't regret it.

Have you ever heard the "Crabs in a Bucket" analogy? It is also sometimes referred to as the "crab mentality."

The theory is that if you have a single crab and put it in a bucket, it can climb right out without any trouble. But if you have more than one in that bucket, you won't have to worry about any of them escaping because they will be so busy pulling one another down that none of them will get out. I heard the idea best described as, "If I can't have it, neither can you." The analogy in human behavior is that a person or people in a group will attempt to "pull down" others by negating or diminishing the importance of any member who achieves success beyond the others, out of jealousy, conspiracy or competitive feelings.

A dear friend, while we were discussing this exact analogy, gave the great advice - instead of falling to the level of those around me and becoming so wrapped up in the fight to "get out" - to kick those crabs in the face and get out of the bucket. It's not impossible. I'm going to focus on just being king of my own hill and queen of my own castle. That's the only thing I have control over.

Little things happen in our lives that make us insecure: something someone says or does, the way that someone looks at you (or doesn't look at you), the way that people act around other people, the way that other people are treated compared to you. Let's be honest, I could go on and on listing reasons why we get insecure.

Everyone has insecurities. EVERYONE. They come about at different moments, but everyone has them. It's human nature. I trust that the confidence that I have in my day-to-day life (now) is real... but that doesn't mean that it can't be shaken a bit. I like to think that nothing anyone says or does to me or about me is going to affect how I feel about myself, but that just doesn't seem to be the way that things are playing out. And that's okay.

I had a breakthrough onstage last night. It happened during "The Tale" number; the scene didn't begin any differently... it's just that something struck me as the stage spun around in the flashback. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you could get tickets to see it and that would help you understand...) As I sat backstage after the number, I tried to figure out what it was that made that breakthrough happen - why was I feeling it more deeply than ever before? Then... I stopped. Because I realized that trying to figure it out wasn't important. I also realized that not knowing where the burst of knowledge for my character came from is one of the exciting things about live theatre. I get to rediscover and uncover new things day in and day out.

And when I say that, I think about the insecurities I've experienced as of late. Couple the feeling I explained in the last paragraph with the sweetest people in the world around me, the prettiest skies above me, a healthy body, a healthy mind, a very solid set of beliefs... and the insecurities are so minute and unimportant that kicking them in the face is just like brushing them off my shoulder.

The fact is this:
No matter where insecurity hits, when it arrives, or why it’s happening... comfort, laughter, ambition and the knowledge that you are loved forever and that you can love forever are always the cure.