Fringe Benefits
I have the good fortune to be in Calgary the week of the Calgary Stampede, the greatest rodeo on earth. Today, as the director of a film in town, I was invited to watch the finals from the super-luxe right-on-top-of-the-action viewing suite rented by one of the big film caterers in town. Promotion, you know. There was sushi and bloody marys and lots of fancy cowboy folk including a guy who did all of John Wayne's horse stunts for years and as the whole thing began I was planning shots in my head and obsessing on whether or not I'm going to get enough rehearsal time and worrying about making the kid versions of the actors match the people they grow up into and what if that little girl won't wear contact lenses so her eyes match my star's eyes and yada yada yada and then it occured to me, no, this is a special thing, I'm doing this wrong, and I offered up a simple prayer to Anybody who might be listening, which went like this: Please God let me be here.
And God said yes.
A minute later the noise in my head went away, I dug into the sushi and watched the bareback riders get tossed around like rag dolls on the bucking broncos and the gals in their sparkly Western bling riding their hearts out in the barrel race and cheered and whooped and chatted and had a great great time.
And now I'm back in my hotel room getting down to work and thinking: that's what I want my prayer to be every day on the set.
Please God let me be here.
And God said yes.
A minute later the noise in my head went away, I dug into the sushi and watched the bareback riders get tossed around like rag dolls on the bucking broncos and the gals in their sparkly Western bling riding their hearts out in the barrel race and cheered and whooped and chatted and had a great great time.
And now I'm back in my hotel room getting down to work and thinking: that's what I want my prayer to be every day on the set.
Please God let me be here.
posted by Tom at 4:26 PM
4 Comments:
I've been saying a prayer as well, my friend. It's that I can get through the first draft without reverting back to suicidal ideation.
God this has been one of the hardest things...
Any words of wisdom?
I'm so glad you had some fun and gave your poor brain a much needed break! Great thought for the day too...Please God, let me be here! I just might borrow that.
Sic: Just write the next word. And the next word after that. On some days it'll come in sentences and some very rare days in pages, but at the very least, if you pray a little and take deep slow breaths, you can get to the next word.
Very often the simplest prayers are the best. It sounds like that one worked for you.
Hang in there.
F
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