Wednesday Wisdom: Independence

#WednesdayAfternoon #WednesdayWisdom #Freedom #FourthofJuly

I think we all like to believe we are independent women making our way in the world. Whether it is choosing a career, climbing the corporate ladder, rearing our children as single mothers, or any other duty, activity, or dream we have in our singular life. But you know, like I do, that independence only takes us so far.

I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to a private showing of a 24-year-old woman named Alexis Martin, who wrote and directed her first original play, “Old Money, New Habits,” only to find out she also composed the music and stage scenery. She also cast the play. She is 24!

But she admitted that after the play was performed, she couldn’t have done it with input from The Oswego Players, Syracuse Actors Studio, The Armory Square Playwrights, The Redhouse Arts Center, and Help Words Come Alive. She also couldn’t have done it without a stellar cast and a room full of supporters.

Alexis is and will remain a rising star in Central New York, and I believe this will extend beyond our area. She will take this play to Broadway or Los Angeles. I just know it. Will she be able to get it there by working independently? No, but with the help of connections, supporters, sponsors, and community, she will.

As the Fourth of July arrives on Friday and the word independence is used in songs and phrases, think beyond our nation’s independence, and consider your own independent works of art, skills, or strengths. At the core, we must produce from our heart and spirit, and follow the road of our dreams, but we can’t do it without others. No woman can be an island. Women must be part of a community that shares in their dreams and beliefs, and takes steps to help them reach it.

America was not founded by one person, nor did it maintain its independence because of one person; it took, and continues to take, millions of people working together, believing in and sustaining a democratic goal, to keep it as it has always been. Remember, neighbors are friends, community is necessary, and independence is a personal gift along with our country’s freedoms.