It was the 4th of July and the kids and I were on the balcony of a parking garage overlooking the intercostal waterway in Ft. Myers, FL, hopefully looking for fireworks despite the drizzle. Eric was busy starring in a performance with the Broadway cast of Escape to Margaritaville in Washington DC for PBS, called A Capitol 4th!
We have let go of our NYC apartment and will begin our LA lease in August. For the moment, we are homeless chic. We embrace the moment and continue our planned visit to family in Florida and wait for our things to be shipped across the country...again...in yet another...transition.
The wet slime sucked on my eye and I had no idea what it was. My mind went straight to a bat or snake or lizard, but at that point, whatever it was had to go. Now!!!
“Take Miles! Take Miles!” I called out to my in-laws as I turned my back to them and handed off our 3 year old, who I had been holding piggy back style.
I was finally able to grab the thing and pull it off my eye. The sticky sucker pulled my hair as it made its’ way back over my ear and, probably to his relief as much as mine, he made it to the wall. We all turned around to see it was a frog who found himself on my face.
The absurdity of it all cracked us up, but I couldn’t shake the nasty feeling until I was able to wash my face and look up to see if my new friend was poisonous. Of course I shivered, twitched and immediately went home to wash my face and have a fresh perspective. A few days later I got another crazy visitor.
I’m not going to lie to you. Transition is difficult. And in this life we lead, it’s around every corner. Every TV show, every broadway show, and every project in this business has an end. There is no pot of gold at the end of these rainbows, but rather a sea of uncertainty. With the closing of Eric’s most recent Broadway show, here we go again, back to LA to pursue more on camera projects for Eric.
Acting is not unlike other businesses, where one family member travels a lot and where sales and commissions are not promised, but hard work is always required. Sometimes it leads to monetary goals and other times it leads to a dead end, but the artist’s journey is to continue on. The colors yielded by the ups and downs create depth and perspective. Our kids develop a flexible mindset and are able to handle the obstacles of life because they understand what’s really important and how to problem solve.
I’m always up for the challenge when transition comes, but sometimes when I get deep in the middle of it, I wonder if I can successfully make it to the other side. Believe me, just yesterday, I wanted to turn around.
A month ago, we both had jobs, the kids were in school and we lived in the best neighborhood in Manhattan. Right now, we are homeless, jobless, and school-less. Don’t worry though. We plan for these things, but it still requires some mental and emotional gymnastics. We all wanted to be back in LA and for Eric to get another TV show, so we take the leap and head into the dark unknown of sunny LA.
In our family, we use prayer to get us through and ask for clarity in our paths. We always get clarity, even when we don’t like what we hear. Without that, we would truly be lost. Because even if we are in a challenging place of life, we know God is in control because we sure aren’t. I will say I always pray for a sign that we are doing the right thing.
So back to my signs from the Frogs. A few days after the case of Frog Face, we arrived at my parents house for a visit. As my mom and I were washing things in her kitchen sink, I commented on how hot the water was and said I hope she didn’t burn her hands. We both continued washing for about a minute when a frog jumped out of the disposal side of the sink, which we were working in!!!!! We both screamed and jumped back. My dad came in and caught him and boy was he big! He must have come inside with us at some point, but you can imagine that now I thought something was up with these frogs. After catching Prince Frederic, the kids enjoyed releasing him into the wild driveway. Now, I just had to figure out what the heck these frogs meant, so I did some googling. The National Wildlife Foundation and a few other sites state that the frog is seen as a sign for easing transition and renewal. For the Romans, it was a sign of bringing good luck into the home. Well, I’ll take it. This whole thing couldn’t have been any more clear, so I’ll accept that encouragement and keep my eyes fixed on the goals in front of us. The signs I get are usually a bit more traditional like a job offer or something, but, hey, I’m open. The adventure awaits.
http://blog.nwf.org/2012/03/7-animals-to-bring-you-good-luck/
https://www.spiritanimal.info/frog-spirit-animal/comment-page-4/
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