"Went to the Ball, Danced with the Prince, and Still Made My Breakfast Shift at the Waffle House"

Someone once summed up my life/personality with this statement:

"Went to the Ball, Danced with the Prince, and still made my breakfast shift at the Waffle House"

I've gotta give it to em, this is pretty accurate. While I've never actually been employed at a Waffle House, I might as well have. Until recently, I spent a good amount of my time working at a Pizza shop in the heart of "Boy-Town-West-Hollywood", with the majority of the rest of my time taken up by my audition schedule, my social schedule and the on-again, off-again relationship I have with the gym (not unlike my love-life I'll reluctantly admit), but I digress...The point is, while thus far I've not held the prestigious or "brag-able" jobs (like many of my peers, friends and acquaintances), I still manage to live a pretty remarkable life, in my opinion (it is all relative, I'm aware).

It has not been unusual for me to find myself serving hors devours for a group of pretentious lawyers (who don't deem the "waitstaff" worthy of eye-contact) one night and a few days later be enjoying similar service, on the receiving end, with Courtney Cox-Arquette sitting at the next table. Or to (reluctantly) put up with the antics (and mess) of highly inebriated customers at 3am and a mere 72 hours later find myself spending a 6 hour flight from NY to LA in conversations with Morgan Fairchild about HIV research and improving the environment?

(Side note...Morgan Fairchild is one of the most remarkable people I have ever had the pleasure to meet...if I can mature to be even a fraction of who she is and what she represents, I would consider my life a success)

...From my Friday night spent alone on the couch to my Saturday with girlfriends in a limo on it's way to The Playboy Mansion (fully clothed, for the record)...From Photoshoots to pizza shops and cleaning bathrooms to Movie Premiers...Is someone up there teasing me?

However, I have made some sense of it...

While thus far, I have had to go back from each of my adventures to metaphorically "scrubbing the evil-stepsisters floors", I've still had these experiences that not everyone can say they've had and that no doubt, I will relish in my old age and regale the stories to the crowd of grandchildren and great grandchildren I'll someday call mine.

Yes, I have rent, and credit cards and medical bills, all DUE...and Yes, I have found myself once again, frantically on the job-hunt...But so what? I'm trying...and I'm doing!

Right now I've chosen to see myself as fortunate, for family, friends and contacts...(many of whom are clearly generous) and Fortunate for my life...but being fortunate comes with a responsibility to not only be gracious, but also to be mindful of just how blessed you are.

I know that one day I will be that person who sees potential in another and has the ability to help nurture it, or converses with someone on a plane and decides to help mentor and guide them, or who simply enters the room and brightens someone else's day...

Until then, while I am still that person who is entirely in awe of the people and world surrounding me and all the opportunity this world holds, I've chosen to breathe it all in, and savor every exhilarating moment so that I never forget it.

And so what if I don't quite have that whole fairytale relationship thing down just yet? That's a whole other story...for an entirely different day...:)



P.S...The photo at the top is of me and my Dad...I felt like a Princess that day, and if I recall correctly I believe I danced with my Dad :)