2010: Being myself

Many moons ago, I lived in a magical land of dorms, a land called Leavey 5, where I lived on the 3rd floor, and subsequently, the 4th floor. Both of these times, I lived in a room with a girl named Catherine.

Catherine is pretty much all you could ask for as far as good roommates go. Although I don't think this sentence needs to be elaborated on, I will. She was kind, sweet and kept things clean. Also, we really got along. She was whimsical yet practical, compassionate yet realistic when needed.

And though I adore her, I don't usually blog about her, so you might be wondering why now? Well I was thinking earlier about something Catherine used to say to me. The wonderful thing about roommates is that they know everything about you. Catherine knew my life play-by-play. We could do a run down of what was happening with the other like a sports fanatic might do with stats. And thus, she knew when I was upset about even the smallest, silliest thing. Like girls, we'd analyze situations. Often, I'd worry that I'd said the wrong thing, reacted the wrong way. This is what Catherine would say: "So what? I would rather be me and be wrong."

Today I found myself worrying about that what I said was the wrong thing. I worried about how the person would take it. Then I thought about Catherine. And I knew what I said was true- so what did it matter what the other person thought? Because what I said is part of who I am. And I really truly would rather be me and be "wrong" in someone else's eyes than be untrue to myself. So...there you go.

The other thing about this idea, "I would rather be me and be wrong" is that I think it applies to playwriting. Because if you aren't completely true to your voice, I can guarantee you will be wrong. It's wrong to try and write in a voice that isn't truly yours. I know my writing is best when it is absolutely, totally me. And on that side of things, you can find some of my more twisted side here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/michelleweilert

"I'm leaning on this broken fence, between past and present tense, and I'm losing all those stupid games that I swore I'd never play, but it almost feels okay."

Happy 2010, everyone. I think it's going to be great.

With love and hope,

Michelle