Monday Motivation, Monday Mood, Inspiration
A recent writing prompt from my friend Julie B. Hughes sparked a memory I wanted to share this holiday season. The prompt was, “When has the kindness of a stranger helped you out in a moment when you really needed it?”
My memory:
When I visited my boyfriend one winter weekend, I asked if I could borrow his car to drive home to my parent’s house for the day while he worked. As he handed me his keys he said, “Be careful, it is snowy outside and you are leaving early in the morning so the roads might be slippery.” Little did he know, the icy roads weren’t what I had to worry about.
Halfway home on a back road, the car started stalling. Luckily, I pulled it off the road where it completely died. At 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning, there weren’t cars going by and cell phones hadn’t been invented yet. I was a 21-year-old girl stranded in 30-degree weather. I knew home was too far to walk in such freezing conditions. My options were very limited.
About fifteen minutes later, a man in a pickup truck stopped behind my car. He asked if he could help and asked me where I was going. I told him, “Rome, where my family lives.” He said, “I’m going that way, I can drop you off.” With no other options in sight and a keen sense of feeling this man was okay, I accepted his offer. As I got in the cab of his truck, he moved a helmet over next to him telling me he was on his way to skydive.
As promised, this man dropped me off safely at my grandparents’ house, where my uncle, a doctor, aunt, and cousins lived. I told them my story. They were grateful I was safe and the man didn’t harm me. I knew in my gut he was okay or I wouldn’t have accepted his offer.
The following day, when I revisited my grandparents’ house, my cousin asked me with concern, “Did you say the man who dropped you off was going skydiving?” I replied, “Yes, why?” He said,
“Well, Dad told me this morning one of his patients died skydiving yesterday. It must have been the man who gave you a ride here.” I was shocked. I later thought I was that man’s last good deed on earth.
After finding out he was married, I asked my uncle for his address. I wrote a letter to his family telling them about the selfless act their husband and father did before he went skydiving. I felt they needed to know his act of kindness. I didn’t get a reply, not that I expected one, but to this day when I help someone else, I wonder, “Could this be my last good deed on earth?”
I suggest you contemplate this question during this holiday period and if possible, every day of 2024.
Wednesday Wisdom: Thanksgiving Message
Wednesday Wisdom, Thanksgiving Message, Holiday Unity, Impermanence
| While running the other day, grappling with the changes facing our country, the word impermanence kept coming up. When I got home, I looked up the official meaning of the word to delve more into its significance. |
| “Impermanence refers to the uncertain and temporary nature of much of what we regard as reality. However, despite continuous change, we often mistakenly invest in multiple aspects of life as if they are fixed and certain, such as our relationships, jobs, income, and housing. Expecting temporary circumstances to remain permanent intensifies the pain and suffering of loss, grief, rejection, and disappointment when change does arise. Recognizing the all-pervading nature of impermanence can trigger anxiety about life’s uncertain and unpredictable nature. Yet, accepting impermanence can also be liberating because it opens us up to a world of endless possibilities.” |
| As we gather with friends and family around a Thanksgiving table this year, we might notice impermanence physically and mentally. We will remember people who have passed on, friends whose relationships changed over time or circumstance, and even a conversation about the impermanence of our country’s future. |
| As the Buddhist description above states, understanding change is inevitable. It helps us focus on what we have right now, the people in our lives, and the good fortunes we have, such as food, warmth, and shelter, and to be grateful because this scenario could be different next year or even tomorrow. |
| Today’s Thanksgiving Message and Wednesday Wisdom inspire you to focus on what is right in front of you, who is right beside you, and what you are blessed with now. Forget about tomorrow, it isn’t here yet and we can’t predict its future. Soak in the meaning of this special holiday with love and joy and let’s revel in its impermanence. |
Monday Motivation: Be the Light We Need
Monday Mood, Monday Motivation, Inspiration
When I asked my joyful 90-year-old Aunt Dona what helped her live such a long and happy life she said, “Every morning I wake up knowing I’m alive, I thank God for another blessed day.” Although she has always been a spiritual woman, it doesn’t take years of studying the Bible or attending church to count the blessings in our everyday life.
At the opposite end of the day, I do something similar to my aunt and think of 5 -10 things, people, or occurrences that made me happy or blessed during the day. Sometimes it’s as simple as a good weather day to run a couple of miles, a phone call from a son, a tasteful bite at lunch, a person who opened the door for me, or a sweet video call from my granddaughter.
Lately, people say “I’m a light” or “Have a light.” It is always the same word. I’m not certain what they mean exactly but if I had to guess it is a joyful, understanding spirit inclusive of all people and an optimism that seeps out of me. I felt it in Florence, Italy after buying a hat from two men who were so grateful for my purchase that we talked for ten minutes before hugging goodbye. Seriously, love is the answer.
When the light went out for many of us on November 6th after the election, we had been searching for some light in the forecasted dark times ahead. I still can’t understand why anyone I love or know would vote for such a horrible human being. There is nothing light about him only darkness. So finding hope during this time in American life has been difficult, yet people tell me after I speak to them they see my light.
I guess my light is positivity or like my aunt a joy that can’t be squashed just because a situation seems bleak. As long as I have my health, loved ones, good friends, people who care about the future, shelter, food, water, and waking up each morning, I am blessed and so are you.
Try to look for the light in yourself and others this week of Thanksgiving. Perhaps – like myself or my aunt you will fill each waking moment with gratitude no matter the circumstance.
Thursday Thoughts: What Are Your Splashy Adventures?
Thursday Thoughts, Inspiration, Motivation, YOLO
The most beautiful blue sea lay before us. High above the Mediterranean Sea, my love and adoration for water stirred. Could the water be warm enough to swim in November, I wondered.
It was my sixtyth birthday, and I wanted to celebrate it with a unique experience. So, I put on my black bathing suit, which I had packed in case an opportunity arose to use it on our two-week vacation to Italy, my grandparents’ country of origin. I wanted a memorable, splashy birthday no matter the temperature.
For three years I’ve been trying different sports to experience and write about to share the experience and inspire others to try new sports no matter their age. I already experienced swimming in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Caribbean Sea, Lake Ontario, and Lake Michigan, and even polar plunged in a river in Quebec in February, why not add the Mediterranean Sea to my list?
The air temperature was 72 degrees as I unrobed on the pebbly beach with bits of glimmering sea glass nestled between the grey stones. Gingerly, I walked into the sea to find it almost as warm as the air, with no seaweed or pollution, just a few topless women, playful children, and a few men enjoying it as well. My husband documented the experience with a photo and joined me.
I’m not sure why the experience of trying new things excites me but it does. I love trying anything new, being brave enough to take on the challenge, appreciative enough to enjoy the experience, whether good or bad and then as excited to write about it.
I think my mind will carry me back to the two joyous days I swam off the coast of Italy anytime I see water. It also inspires me to swim in as many different oceans, lakes, and waterways for the rest of my life, tallying up the experience. Let me know where you swam and how it made you feel. I’m interested in your splash adventures too.
Wednesday Wisdom: Version 6.0
Wednesday Wisdom, Wednesday Morning, Inspiration for Women
| As my friends call it, I am now in the 6.0 version of my life after turning a decade older in my family’s homeland of Italy. When I returned this weekend, I Googled, “What are women saying about turning 60?” The response I found from the Sixty and Me community is “What do I really want my life to be about?” |
| I knew what I wanted my life to be about when I turned 30. I wanted to be a home-based woman entrepreneur, still working on my event planning career, with a feminist business twist, while raising my two sons. In the first “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book I was featured in, the title of the series was “Power Moms” and the title of my story was “A Golden Glow.” |
| My story was about raising my sons to believe in the power of women and girls while watching me balance running a business while being with them before and after school. The golden glow was the sun rising and setting on a blessed day perfectly designed by me. I didn’t know the impact I would have on my sons as they grew but I’ve found out over the years. |
| Not only did my sons choose independent, smart women as their wives, but they all voted for females to be President of the United States. My sons could have chosen women different than me to marry, but my honest discussions, leadership, and balance of duties in our household showed them who to search for. They also believe in a pro-female future. |
| I know I am lucky to have a husband, sons, and most of my family who voted for a female president both times because it would be difficult if they didn’t. One of my daughters-in-law is Jewish and we are on her side of the Israel/Palestine issue knowing we will have future Jewish grandchild to love and protect. My other daughter-in-law is raising our first granddaughter Ivy Rose like me as a work-at-home mother. |
| My husband and sons believe in the power and future of women. How much of that is my doing or their father’s input or a combination, I don’t know, but it gladdens my heart that I raised them the right way and they watched and listened. |
| If you didn’t read Monday’s special notice from me, you might not understand why this Wednesday Wisdom is not about women in business or sports but equality. Please read the email or my blog post to see what I am 100% focused on in the future. |
| My 6.0 heart and spirit changed in Italy on November 6 after hearing the election results as I sat in Pope Francis’ Wednesday Audience in Rome, Italy. With my faith and feminist spirit, I will be even more forward about fighting for a better women’s future. Welcome, 60. |
Tuesday Thoughts: My Truth Going Forward
Tuesday Morning, Tuesday Thoughts, Feminism, Feminist, Women, ProFemale
| The truth of waking up in Rome, Italy the day after America’s election, and one day before my sixtieth birthday to the devastating news of another highly experienced, qualified, intelligent woman not being elected President of the United States was gut-wrenching. Here I was in a country my grandparents left for their dream to be Americans and all I could think was never wanting to go back. |
| When I read this statistic, my heart changed going forward, “Most notable was Trump’s performance among white women. The Harris campaign actively targeted the group in the hope that protecting abortion rights would garner their support. Yet such support failed to materialize, with Trump winning among white women 53% to 46% over Harris, with that group making up the largest overall voting bloc at 40%,” according to AP VoteCast. |
| Unbelievable. Heartbroken. Angry. I felt like 30 years of inspiring, or should I say, trying to inspire, women to support women 100% in business, sports, equality, and life was a failure. Perhaps I was naïve to think women who followed me through written words, events, social media, and more felt the same way or they wouldn’t follow me. I realized I was wrong. |
| Before the sunset on a clear blue sky in my real homeland of Italy, I decided I could not move forward as I had. I have re-committed to speaking my truth in feminist words, actions, and beliefs. I have no room in my heart, spirit, or business anymore for women who do believe in a pro-female future. |
| As I looked at my 3-month-old granddaughter’s beautiful brown eyes, wide-eyed and joyful, I committed to helping her future, not women who don’t believe in the same future for her that we lived. I will not succumb to believing anyone meant good by not voting for Kamala Harris, just like not voting for Hillary Clinton. If women don’t trust a woman to be the leader of the free world, they don’t believe in their possibility in any other area of life. |
| I will continue to fight for my granddaughter Ivy Rose, my nieces, and the women in my life. I hope you will be there too but if not, I understand and truly appreciate your past connection to me and my companies. I hope I see you on a new pink horizon someday. |
Monday Motivation: I’m One of Them
Monday Motivation, Inspiration, Faith, Italian Roots
I was perched high in the mountains in the tiny village of Aviligano in Southern Italy, the hometown of my grandmother and great-grandparents who left their country to go to America for a better future. They left in 1906 which was 118 years earlier than my discovery.
As I walked the worn rocks that made up their roads and traversed tiny alleyways leading to their Chiesa (church) where everyone in my family would have attended masses, weddings, and funerals, my DNA rattled with excitement. We even passed a building with my great-grandparent’s last name on it, “Pace.” Could my DNA know where I was? Could my Great-Grandparents know a century later their great-granddaughter would visit?
Opening the doors to the Chiesa, The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmine, a Catholic church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in existence for over 500 years, a congregation of women were saying the rosary in Italian. I flashed to my grandmother’s rosary beads she gave me before she passed away – tiny worn-out pearls with a silver cross – a treasure. My husband and I sat down in the second to last pew to listen and pray in this beautiful solemn place.
As the rosary progressed, other community members came in – men, children, and teenagers. I realized Saturday Night mass was going to begin. My heart leaped in emotion realizing I would experience mass in my great grandparents’ home parish – an unexpected blessing from above.
Standing taller than anyone else there, I saw the petite frames of the women instantly reminding me of my grandmother and her sisters. I had forgotten what they looked like. Their stylish dresses and shoes were on display too.
On the altar was a pristine statue of Mother Mary with a crown of white halo lights, holding baby Jesus. I stared and prayed to her with love for finding this piece of my personal history. She has been my true mother I’ve adored her all my life thanks to my grandmother.
The mass was in Italian and the only word I understood was “Alleluia” which does not have an Italian translation. “Alleluia,” I said as my heart expanded in size. After receiving the eucharist, I walked down the aisle with the congregation staring and wondering who these two tall, unfamiliar people were on a lone Saturday night in their village. Little did they know, I was one of them.
This memory beats loudly in my heart and will never leave. I am changed by the experience. I am grateful to God for allowing me to find this special Chiesa at the right time when my country’s future looks so dark. I now have the light of this moment and place – a gift from my ancestors above – to lead me forward, and maybe someday back to our family’s homeland to live forever.
Wednesday Wisdom: Future Decisions
Wednesday Morning, Wednesday Wisdom, Inspiration, Election 2024, Women
| Next week’s Wednesday Wisdom would typically be a nod to America’s decision on our next President. I wouldn’t write the wisdom on Tuesday, like I typically do so it reaches everyone’s mailbox early Wednesday, but rather wait until Wednesday morning to announce my thoughts on the outcome after the results are in. Instead, I will be hundreds of miles away in the home country where my grandparents were born, sipping a coffee, eating a cornetto, celebrating my 60th birthday, and reading the newspaper to find out what happened. |
| I can only imagine my reaction and the rest of the world’s reaction to the winner of this tight race. Like four years ago arriving in NYC at the same time as Biden was called the winner of the 2020 race, I hope people are cheering, horns beeping, and vino flowing on a sunny day full of hope. |
| I know this wisdom is political, and I try not to bring politics into my writing, but I am a #MeToo survivor and adamantly cannot vote for a convicted rapist. I also can’t vote for someone who doesn’t believe in allowing women their choice to choose what they do with their bodies. Why would women not support a female leader when females makeup 52% of the population but still aren’t equal in many areas of life? |
| As I held my two-month-old granddaughter Ivy Rose in the backseat of her parent’s car so they could vote last week, I looked at her expressive eyes and warm smile, thinking of her future, not mine. I want her to have a wonderful life full of joy, peace, and options. I can’t imagine anything else for her. |
| I have two best friends who vote the opposite of me. I wonder how that could be. How can two women I’ve loved so much see things so differently? They don’t have granddaughters yet, so maybe they can’t see her future. I pray there is time for them to change their minds, and hopefully, others like them see that our world needs to be kind, accepting, intelligent, and wise. |
| Today’s Wednesday Wisdom is to have you think of little girls’ futures when you vote on November 5. Think about all the positive attributes America has to offer. Believe in the intelligence and character of a female president and how that can truly change our nation. We have never had a female president, and maybe all along, that is what we’ve needed. |
Act 2: Do You Have a Simmering Acting Passion?
Friday Feelings, Central New York, Syracuse Acting Community
Simmering in the corner of the Starbucks was not only fresh coffee but a conversation with two people on how to connect local artists with more theater and film gigs locally and nationally. With a hot latte in one hand and a cold brew in the other, Laura Stisser and Joe Barnes shared their love for acting from their younger years and film careers with me.
They met through a Fulton writer’s group where creatives network and bond over a similar passion for all things theater and film. Laura witnessed Joe’s work in the film “Under the Mercy” produced by him and directed by Peter Manhan. Instantly, Stisser knew this new connection would open up opportunities for her acting career.
A few years after Laura and Joe met, they created the Syracuse Actors Studio (SAS) to expand the Fulton Writer’s Group concept in the heart of CNY. Some in SAS are writers, others directors or producers, and most are inspiring actors. Supporting each other through practice, input, and shared experiences, they find a nest of others, with all levels of experience, to hone their skills and expand their horizons.
Bursting at the seams of excitement SAS has grown in numbers, so Stisser and Barnes reached out to The Academy of American High in Liverpool for a new collaborative relationship to expand opportunities for members in their group. American High was founded in 2018 by a collective of entertainment industry veterans interested in discovering and fostering new talent.
With equal excitement for a new relationship, American High is opening its doors on Monday, October 28th, at 7 p.m. for a tour of its studios with SAS members as its guests. Anyone in Central New York interested in expanding their acting, writing, directing, and production alliances is invited to attend.
Although I acted in elementary plays and used my mother’s theater backdrops to create my own play, I never thought of acting beyond the safe realm of childhood. However, learning how to write scripts and produce a play has been sparked after meeting Laura and Joe and attending a few SAS meetings.
Perhaps you have a theater or film interest simmering in your soul too. If you do, come to the American High and Syracuse Acting Studios joint event on Monday, and leave rejuvenated to begin a career in the Central New York film community and beyond.
To learn more visit the Syracuse Actor’s Studio Facebook page at this link.
Magical Connections in the CNY Acting Community – You’re Invited
Only good happens when two people meet out of mutual respect and admiration for each other’s talents. Like the Law of Attraction, the more people dream and desire something, the more natural connections appear to help manifest something magical.
When Laura Stisser, a seasoned local actress saw Joe Barnes in the movie, “Under the Mercy” which he produced and Peter Manhan directed, she wanted to meet him because of his talent in movie production and direction. They met through a Fulton writer’s group where they instantly bonded, so much so that Barnes cast Stisser in his next movie where she took the role to the next level due to her exceptional acting skills.
Their relationship grew and years later they co-founded the Syracuse Actor’s Studio (SAS) in Syracuse offering a free acting space for writers, directors, actors, actresses, and producers to gather monthly to educate and network expanding everyone’s opportunities in the film, theater, and overall acting community.
On Monday, October 28, 2024, Stisser and Barnes will take their passion for collaboration to the next level by hosting a joint event with The Academy of American High in Liverpool. American High was founded in 2018 by a collective of entertainment industry veterans interested in discovering and fostering new talent. Members of SAS and anyone in the public can join the tour of the American High studios and learn more about both organizations.
“We hope the collaboration between SAS and American High will produce more successful connections between our members and the producers and directors looking for film talent,” stated Stisser. “There is so much talent in the Central New York Community that we hope they will hire talent here instead of going to LA or NYC to find it,” Barnes commented.
The Syracuse community is rich with people interested in developing their creative talents in the theater and film industry. Stisser and Barnes through their passion and connections help individuals at every skill level manifest their dreams. “We hope people interested in furthering their network and opportunities will join us on October 28th at 7 p.m. at The Academy of American High.” It should be a magical event.
For more details about Monday’s collaborative event, visit Facebook @SyracuseActorsStudio.
Women TIES 