(Why am I naming days?) (And what does it mean to “Help build the honeycomb?).
9/6/13, Day 13, 638: All the Faces of the Moon; or, What Synchronicity Means
This day is so named because Heather and I caught the second show of Mike Daisey’s 29-day opus, All the Faces of the Moon. What I responded to most was the narrative within the narrative, which I imagine will be the thread that binds the 29 plays together. In particular, there is an extended passage about synchronicity that has stayed with me the past two days, in part because I experienced two examples of eerie synchronicity immediately following the show. Regardless of what I did or didn’t like about the play, (and really, what sort of fool goes to the theatre to like or dislike something?) it changed my awareness of the world for a little while, and for that I am grateful, and wish I had more time to fully engage with the rest of the series.
9/7/13, Day 13,639: Wings; or Never, Never
This day is so named because Heather and I caught Civic Ensemble’s production of All God’s Chillun Got Wings at JACK. Powerfully acted and provocatively directed, this production is more than an opportunity to see this rarely produced O’Neill piece. It is an opportunity–one we should all take, even if the experience is often raw and brutal–to dive deep into the poisonous consequences of internalized racism. The play is part fever dream, part fable; yet this production feels painfully grounded in the bodies of the brave actors incarnating these haunted spirits. It is not easy to watch, though it is beautifully rendered. At the talk-back that followed, a woman who identified as seventy-four stated that she believed that the issues of race would never be over: “never, never.” Now I turn those words over and over in my hands. As we ready for tashlich, I wonder if she’s right, and our country will never be able to cast this sin all the way into the water. The only answer to that “never, never” is to work for change “here, now.”
What small things did I do yesterday to build the Honeycomb?
- I asked Peter Voser, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell to take full responsibility for the consequences of oil-related environmental damage in Nigeria.
- I was an engaged audience member for two plays.
- I asked OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) to inspect the five chemical plants in Texas that kicked out state fire inspectors who were trying to prevent another West, Texas tragedy.
- I did a whole bunch of Flux work.
- I asked the FWS to withdraw their proposal to strip Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection from nearly all gray wolves in the lower 48 states and hold additional public hearings.
- I ate vegetarian, including veggies from our local, organic CSA, and composted, creating no additional direct food waste from plastic bags, plastic bottles, or any other wasteful packaging.
Technique never stands still: it only advances or retreats…
Writing: 15 out of the last 18 days (and 5 days in a row)
Yoga: 9 out of the last 18 days
Spanish: 15 out of the last 18 days
Corinna Schulenburg 