Summoning Athena, The Witch of Portobello, and yet again learning to defy gravity!

Today has been an interesting full of eye opening experiences day and as I am seeing people's true colors all I keep hearing is be love, be love, be love. I never forgot once in an Al Anon meeting someone said that when she was facing a tough situation that involved someone else she would say to herself see them through God's eyes. How would God look at them? I believe with love, of course! So today I have asked myself to do just that. It's easy for us to react when we've been hurt but I refuse to do easy. I'll take hard, which for me means doing the right thing or I should say what feels right to me. I have found in my limited yet profound experience that the right thing to do aka taking the high road can sometimes be the hardest thing to do. People have shown up today and shown me their true character. I must admit some of it was not pretty. Some people crossed the line, the ones I least expected to do so, and some simply said nothing and held out their hand for me to hold onto. The latter was also those I expected to do it the least. Yet again I learned that an expectation is a premeditated resentment and only hurts the person having them.

Let's just say the Galinda's of the world were exposed today as were the Elphaba's of the world. As far as the Wizard, met him too and what lies behind the curtain well let's just say some things are never quite what they sell I mean seem. ;-) For those of you who don't know Wicked the musical let me explain that both characters are not what they seem and I won't say more as to not ruin an AMAZING musical for you. It's a must see! I devoured every minute of it both times I saw it in Los Angeles and Chicago.

So here I was feeling like I was being kicked while I was down for someone, let's call her Galinda, decided to JUDGE me and my life quite harshly. Someone who has known me for a long time. Now I know that people see the world as they are not as it is but when you have loved someone as long as I have loved Galinda you can't help but be hurt. Everytime my mind has wanted to hold on to the hurt my heart has stepped in and whispered BE LOVE, BE LOVE, BE LOVE, look at Galinda through God's eyes. So I did and here is what I concluded.

Although Galinda can not understand me I still love her because I know that her inability to SEE me is what is creating the judgement that allowed her to cross the line and condemn my lifestyle. Once I was able to see that I realized I was summoning Athena, The Witch of Portobello, once more. What you may know if you've read my blogs is that the reason this feels all so familiar to when I gave birth to The Witch of Portobello is because then the person who I thought loved me the most turned out to be the one that was not be able to accept me or the way I live my life either. What you don't know is this was something I learned not only two days before Valentines but also shortly after I had been diagnosed with a premature stress induced heart beat, which has been gone for a while now thanks to yoga. ;-)

Well now as I find myself yet again facing what APPEARS to be an insurmountable challenge this person decided to not only tell me they don't want to help but along the way condemned me. Huh? Sounds really familiar! I've been here before and if my memory serves me well once the challenge was over and I endured it I ended up in a pretty magical place. A place where I brought to life one of the most beautiful "witches" ever written, Athena. So with that thought in mind I decided I would thank them for their thoughts while having gratitude for the eye opening experience and prepare myself to receive once more. Yes!!! This for me is actually a sign that something beautiful is around the corner because once more I have sided with myself, my truth and put my love for myself above anything. I STAND BY ME! After all people's ideas of me only truly reveal how they see the world. I am saddened that a person I love so much sees through those eyes but glad life has revealed to me that which I needed to be aware of and as usual I know God's got it. It's their journey and their truth and neither them or I are right or wrong. It simply is what it is and to me a reminder that sometimes people are so frightened by that which they can't understand or SEE that they judge it.

As I took a walk earlier I began to think about all the Elphaba's I know. The ones that aren't always trying to keep up with appearances but have a heart of GOLD and I know so many of those!!!! So many that I had to tell you all about them. Some I've known forever, some I've just met but overall these women are truly extraordinary and inspiring so I feel compelled to share them with you! Whether they know it or not they are what gives me hope in the kindness of humanity! I have chosen to keep my focus on them!! When I think of us this is what I see. ;-)
(c) acclaim images


Jennifer Hankins is my soul sister who resides in Chicago and who I met thanks to my play's stop there a few years back. AMAZING doesn't even begin to do her justice. Darice Mangin I also met in Chicago when she came to see my play. A beautiful soul who paints like an angel! As an independent production we are dependent on people who support the arts and these two women showed up and did just that. Ever since August 25, 2007, when the universe conspired to cross our paths, they have become my dear dear friends with hearts of gold. Danielle Valencia, my amazing agent of three years, is such a close friend that she knew her client would LOVE to be submitted for the UNICEF spot even though it did not pay. Most agents don't waste their time on something they can't make money on BUT she knew me and she is part of the reason I am headed to NY next week for my training as UNICEF Ambassador for http://www.tapproject.org. Her understanding and acceptance of who I am and where I am in life compelled her to submit me for that job and from the moment I got called in she said, 'It's yours, It's who you are." She sees me and because of that the rest is history. Tammy La, Mary Queen Robinson, and Joy Nash have been in my play for a very long time and have always been EXTRAORDINARILY supportive of me and my work. Support that they have shown by donating their BEAUTIFUL TALENT AND STORIES TO THE ART OF BEING. Ladies THANK YOU!!!

Bev Bishop is a God send. If God ever sent an angel it was her. What she did last week for me I will not mention but let's just say if I did you may want to nominate her for sainthood. ;-) Gaby Moreno
is not only sweet but extremely talented!! Everytime I see her play I think really can someone just open their mouth and sound that amazing?!!! She's so talented when she got off the road recently after opening for Tracy Chapman, Ani DeFranco hand picked her to open for her so off she goes again! But wait Sarah Berailles saw her last week and told her she wants her to open for her. You wanna see her? Come to my UNICEF Fundraiser in March, she has already agreed to donate her amazing gift of a voice to it! Last but not least Shari Goldberg whose not only as cheesy as me, sorry but you know you are, takes one to know one, ;-) but whose so dedicated to the causes I am she joined me this year as co-producer of The Art of Being and worked her butt off free of charge!!!

Now for the inspirations that came from way of one of my many inspirations, Mr. Mraz. Should you have made your way here from his blog you may want to finish this and then go to Me and Paulo Coelho....how the universe conspired to cross our paths.
because that is what he called an amazing yet not surprising story. ;-) Speaking of amazing these amazing women I have met thanks to him. The fabulous writer..Andi also known as AndiWritesAgain
, the young woman who is finding her passion and bravely following it the girl with kaleidoscope eyes
or as I know her Kim, Sarah Forrester whose work, http://www.grilledcheeseimages.com/, I love, and last but not least Leah Carrico
whose amazing words last night as a comment on my blog showed me the generosity of strangers is clearly God speaking to me and saying I AM HERE! All these women have shown me that for every one person who turns their back on me there are ten beautiful souls extending their hand out to me.

Life my friends, how we choose to look at it and WHO we choose to surround ourselves with is just that a choice! Choose wisely and choose not only knowing but trusting you deserve the best! I may be making my way through something today and it may seem like too much just for today but in the end I know that which only I can know. I am about to yet again once more DEFY GRAVITY and make what some call impossible my reality. After all," What you think about yourself is much more important than what others think of you." Seneca. I used that quote in The Art of Being as friendly reminder to my audience and cast. One I am making to myself today! ;-)

I hope whatever challenge you face allows you to find out exactly what you are made of! This is for you my loving friends, those I know, don't know and I am getting to know. Your beauty encourages me to move forward and trust my instincts and do as Elphaba sings, "So if you care to find me look to the western sky! As someone told me lately everyone deserves the chance to fly! And if I'm flying solo at least I'm flying free. To those who'd ground me take a message back from me. Tell them how I am defying gravity! I'm flying high defying gravity. And soon I'll match them in renown and NOBODY in all of Oz no wizard that there is or was is ever gonna bring me down!"

I hope you trust you have it within you to choose not to allow anything or anyone to bring you down. Now go on grab that broomstick and go defy gravity! If no one wants to literally join you on your broomstick remember YOU ARE NEVER ALONE in your leap of faith, NEVER! I am off to re read the novel that reminds me I am not alone in trusting myself, La Bruja de Portobello
. Paulo thank you for creating her and helping me and many others continue to fight for our dreams and passions by following our hearts!!!

This blog is for my sister Mercedes Garza whose rough exterior has shown me today has a soft interior for when push came to shove she held out her hand put our differences aside and showed me that she truly is an Elphaba!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! If trusting God and the Universe and that which I can not SEE but simply feel in my heart makes me WICKED than hand me my broomstick!!! Please. ;-) After you watch this I hope you find it within you to be WICKED!!!



Off on my broomstick....next stop my very own Roman Holiday, courtesy of the witch of portobello of course! ;-)

Last but not least may I suggest going here
and listening to track 20, Crazy Horse, when you are done. But do yourself a favor and make sure you listen to the lyrics.