The Cold Orange

Across the country and up and down the Atlantic coast, the temperatures during the past few weeks has been hot and humid. Today is no exception. I took a walk through midtown Philadelphia while on a lunch break and noticed a sweet interaction. A youngish, homeless man was seated on a street bench looking quite dejected. Who knows how he happened to become homeless? It doesn't take much.

A woman walking by took notice of this homeless man, stopped, reached into her insulated lunch bag, and pulled out an orange. She offered it to this man, explaining that it was "very cold" as it had been in her insulated bag all morning. The homeless man took the orange, sputtering his thanks and began to peel it.

There was a look of absolute joy in this man's face as he pulled apart the chilled, obviously very juicy orange; he savored the taste and, no doubt, the refreshing chill against the hot afternoon sun. He ate the orange slowly, not like a hungry man, but someone who was taking his time to enjoy a rare moment. I watched him consume this orange with such delicate relish as if it were an exotic fruit obtained only every great once in a while.

But, of course, for someone with no home, no job and no income, nothing is to be taken for granted. All gifts are welcome.

Especially a cold orange on a hot, sunny day on a bench.

Arrogance Shot Down

I did not get the drama teacher position that I interviewed for two weeks ago. My arrogance in thinking "they are nuts not to hire me - how many around here with my background are there?" was disproven. The irony is that I often remind people who act as if Delaware is on the moon someplace that some of the theater's very best talent has come from this small state and given the size of Delaware, it's chock full of arts-related communities and organizations. It amazed me when I moved back here just how active in the arts the state was. While I promote Delaware as being "all that" in the back of my mind I still don't give it or the citizens of the state the credit due.

Yes, Nancy, there are people with impressive theaterical backgrounds similar to yours. There are people with more teaching experience on a high school level than yours. And that's what it all came down to as well: the existing experience teaching high school drama and directing high school musicals, the latter not my strongest point. I could do it, yes, but this school wanted a track record for directing high school musicals and designing four year programs for students.

I don't blame them. My rejection for the job doesn't mean I will never teach at that school; I just won't for the time being.

I have an interview at another high school tomorrow. If I choose this job and they choose me, I will be able to earn that coveted certification that will open up other well-paying teaching opportunities for me in the evenings in addition to the college-level adjunct positions.

Things seem to be coming together for the first time in many years. The past few years have been absolutely hellish professionally and that impacts my personal life, of course. Little money and periods of unemployment was quite demoralizing. But just with the move to this townhouse and setting things up has seemingly triggered other events; the sense of becoming grounded once again lifts my mood considerably. I'm writing consistently again for the first time in ages and more organized in my approach to things.

It's never too late to turn things around. Maybe that is what's happening now.