A few years back I read an interesting article on New Year’s resolutions. The author suggested that, instead of resolving to do more in the coming year, one should do less.
It’s like the scene in the movie Birdcage when they are turning the apartment into a straight-looking residence, and Val says, “Don’t add; subtract.”
I took this idea to heart after reading the article, but I think that was in the last century. During my life as a college professor, I suffered from “mission creep”—more and more things got added.
Then I retired, which should suggest a lessening of activities, but it doesn’t feel like that. When I started StoryZ, my theatre company, tasks multiplied. Then I created the Storytelling and Writers Group on the Meetup app. Most recently I was invited to join the local branch of a fraternal organization.
So let me stop myself right there. We’re planning a theatrical production, Labor’s Martyr: The Story of Joe Hill, to open May 1, 2025. That in itself will be a major undertaking, and I need to concentrate entirely on that.
As a result, I resolved to dissolve the Meetup group. That’s not a big deal anyway; of the several meetup events, an interest survey, and calls for dialogues, I’ve only met one person out of the 97 members.
As for the fraternal organization: that too seems to be a distraction from my primary focus, which is the theatre company. So, alas, no mystical initiation (at least for now).
Of course, I will be assisting some local people on the Latrobe Poetry Neighborhood project and will continue to work with local organizations (such as the Chamber of Commerce). StoryZ has projects in the planning stage beyond Labor’s Martyr (watch this space for more as they develop) so expect much more to come!
MUSOFYR 