I face this quote from Andre De Shields every time I sit at my desk. The 74-year-old prolific actor/choreographer/director gave this advice for longevity during his 2019 Tony acceptance speech. It serves me as a daily beacon, reminder, and deep breath inducer.
Slowly is the fastest way to get to where you want to be.
As an over-sensitive human with a tendency to barrel ahead toward one audacious creative goal after another, his advice resonates with me, comforts me, and helps me slow down. As a quarantinian (TM) growing more and more impatient to resume “normal life” the truth of Slowly is the fastest way to get to where you want to be also sounds an alarm. We can’t rush out of quarantine if we want a healthy community. We likely can’t skip over a second wave or waves of community spread to come. For me, maintaining any degree of peace–both inside my head and home–requires slowing down to today, and this moment.
…so keep climbing
Join me tonight and grab your virtual seat for this live storytelling event hosted by the Wisconsin Book Festival and Inside Stories Podcast. I’m telling mine first–a lighthearted tale of our first social distancing walk gone wrong–so tune in at 7PM CST.
Listen? Here’s a song I’m working on from the musical “Is There Life After High School” by Craig Carnelia (backing track thanks to pianist Mark Wurzelbacker)
Hop on board my DYNAMITE time machine! I “unboxed” and shared an actual Dynamite magazine from 1982 that my amazing friend Melisa Wells sent me. You can experience it with me page by page here, because I’m sure that’s exactly how you want to spend your time.
Unwind! Speaking of Melisa Wells, she updates this epic list of Creative Ways to Connect and Learn from home every day!
Buy/Give local [none of this is sponsored content]: I’ve sent gifts from Colectivo, Fromagination, Zip Dang. Recent donations include Centro Hispano, Goodman Food Pantry, and The Foundation For Black Women’s Wellness. This Dane County Neighbors Helping Neighbors Facebook group drives some of my informal giving (one example: I shipped essentials to a stranger with five kids, dwindling food, and no car. You know what? She offered to help others the week following when she could, and she did).