LTYM: Boulder- Video Release, Overdue Recap
So, there's this little thing called The Listen To Your Mother Show. It features local writers reading their own essays on motherhood- the experience of being one, having one, or knowing one, in celebration of Mother's Day. I've co-produced the Boulder LTYM show for three years in a row now, and it has been amazing. My dear reader, please note I do not use the term "amazing" lightly. I'm not talking The Most Amazing Sweet Potato Fries You'll Ever Taste or the Amazing Secret of Flat Abs (also, does this exist??). I'm talking laugh till you cry, cry till you are digging in your purse for a tissue, and everything in between, Amazing with a capital A. And that's just the show itself.Bringing this event to my community with my lovely and talented co-producer/dear friend Joelle is an experience I can only compare to being pregnant and giving birth. I thought it would be a cool project, but I had no idea what it would be like and in what ways it would challenge me and force me to grow. And just when it felt like the workload was too much to bear, I could not handle one more email, text, call, or item on my to-do list, it was showtime, and my mind was blown.As we processed onto the stage, the audience was going crazy for us, hollering, hooting, and clapping- and we hadn't even done anything yet. They didn't know what any of us were about say and they loved us anyway. I remember feeling awed, like, "They are dying to love us!" There was an energy in the room that felt like electricity on my skin and warmth in my heart.We performed our show twice, and each and every cast member nailed it- positively nailed it- both times. Every last little bit of work was entirely worth it, as the audience heard our stories. The power of a story cannot be underestimated. We tell our own stories to make sense of our experiences. Stories connect us. Stories matter. It was such a gift to provide the opportunity for people to share their stories, with our community and now, with the entire internet.If you came to the show, thank you for being part of it!! If you didn't make it, the videos are online now. Here is the link to Boulder's 2015 show.And here is my talk, called "A Farewell To Questionable Snacks," on learning of Lady Bug's allergy diagnosis...