Spirit Magazine - July 2014 - (Page 63)

the performing arts wasn't a rock-solid long-term plan, but I no longer had a long-term outlook. I was too busy making hay while the sun shone. After college graduation, I moved back to New York, where I got headshots, a talent agent, and my Actors' Equity card, enabling me to audition for Broadway shows. I performed Shakespeare in the Lower East Side, 1950s cult classics in the West Village, and avant-garde German theater on St. Mark's Place. There were challenges: Between scenes, the rest of the cast and crew relied on the illumination of glow tape to enter and exit the stage, move sets, and place props. My eyes couldn't discern the weak glimmer of the tape, so when the lights went out I sank into a deep, unrelenting darkness. Making matters worse, the things I typically used to orient myself-furniture, walls, doors-were not fixed points, but elements of a constantly changing set. Accidents were unavoidable. I grew accustomed to getting tangled in backdrops, nearly falling off stages, and bashing my body parts into hard, unyielding objects (and people). Still, it was a small price to pay for what I got in return. Not only was I happy, I was fulfilled. When I strode onto the stage, right into the center of hot, bright lights, I felt a thrill that was worth every bruise, every fleeting humiliation. dated Hell's Kitchen walk-ups. I drank prosecco with lawyers in perfectly appointed apartments in Chelsea. I rode in the passenger seats of cherryred convertibles and on the backs of motorcycles. The attention was not only enjoyable but also a big boost to my confidence. For a time, after my diagnosis, I had been painfully aware of how much of the picture I was missing due to my tunnel vision. This made me skittish, insecure. It was hard to walk forward boldly when I didn't know if I was about to fall into a manhole. But ticking items off my bucket list was transforming me into a more confident, fearless version of myself-one who wore red lipstick and heels everywhere, who laughed with abandon, who wasn't afraid to make the first move. My romances afforded me constant excitement, which distracted me from the fact that I was losing more vision with each passing year. When I thought about the cute bioengineer who was taking me out later or the charming actor who asked for my phone number, I forgot about how it was growing harder for me to read the newspaper or walk home down dark side streets. It didn't take long for the whole thing to grow tiresome. Romances, begun with so much heat and promise, would fizzle out after a few weeks. I started to crave something more substantial, more enduring. Fortuitously, that's exactly when David reentered the scene. He was a novelist from Tennessee 4. Fall in Love One of the perks of a life in the theater is you don't have to look far to find whirlwind romance; throw a rock, and you'll hit half a dozen soulful artists who dish up drama and passion in large quantities. The quality of that romance was somewhat questionable, but at 21 years old I subscribed to the philosophy that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. I kissed most of the frogs south of 14th Street. I watched Montgomery Clift movies with handsome Colombian-American actors in dilapi- TWO IF BY SEA Nicole and David, in their early days as a couple. JULY 2014 SPIRIT 63

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - July 2014

Spirit Magazine - July 2014
Contents
Gary’s Greeting
Gary’s Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Words
Your Pictures
Media Center
Eat Drink Sleep
Bite into bread salad
Pour a patriotic drink
Eat like an astronaut
Numbers
Call cars by name
Analyze dating data
Business
Know your market(ing)
Shop for couture
As the Lights Go Down
As the Lights Go Down
One-Hit Wonders
One-Hit Wonders
Sightsee in St. Louis
Your Adventure In St. Louis
Your Adventure In St. Louis
Promotional Series: Spirit of Maryland
Promotional Series: Spirit of Nevada
Promotional Series: Focus on Health
Calendar
Turn a buck into a bronco
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Products & Services
Flight Service
Terminal Maps
Information
Rapid Rewards and A+ Rewards Partners
Route Map
The “If” List
Joke with Allison Janney

Spirit Magazine - July 2014