The piece that you’ll find below is fitting for Easter Sunday, and was originally published by I AM THAT GIRL. And for those of you who celebrate today, I hope you have the most wonderful Easter. And even if you don’t celebrate – I hope you take the time each week to slow down. To appreciate the people around you. To enjoy the tiny moments of life. The world is full of such sadness lately, it’s our job to higlight the beauty.
Happy Easter!
xo,
Megan
Right, right, right!
Now left. Left.
Leeeeeeft.
Slow down, eh?
I had just filmed my first commercial in TriBeca. And, 10 hours later, I wanted to take myself to a show, but I didn’t want to have to pay for parking. Let’s be honest – parking garages in NYC cost a pretty penny – like, a lot of pennies.
So needless to say, I was ecstatic about finding that treasured Gotham gem: STREET PARKING.
For as much as I drive around Manhattan, one would think that I could parallel park with my eyes closed. Alas, that is not true. Truthfully, I hate parallel parking. I’d rather drive through Times Square in rush hour than parallel park.
But, I was having a good day. And I wasn’t about to give up on this little gem. So, I began the arduous task of parking. It was quite the comedy show- spastic nature at it’s finest. Each person walking down the sidewalk looked away and rolled their eyes. Each person, except for one.
An older gentleman had gotten out of one of the cars I was trying to park in between. I leaned my head out of my window and said, “Am I good?” He looked at me…walked towards the car, and said:
Right, right, right!
Now left. Left.
Leeeeeeft.
Slow down, eh?
This went on for fifteen minutes.
Fifteen minutes this man stayed with me, on the sidewalk, in December in New York City. He stood in the middle of the road to make sure the cabs and oncoming traffic new I was trying to park. He guided my car, my driving, and taught me how to gain some parallel parking skills.
Fifteen minutes.
Fifteen minutes this stranger to time out of his day, to help me.
I got three rejection letters last week, from different theatres and agents who were not interested in this play that I wrote, that I’m trying to share with the world. Three rejection letters. And yet – all I can think about is my parallel parking friend.
Right, right, right!
Now left. Left.
Leeeeeeft.
Slow down, eh?
Patience.
Sometimes I think we all need a little more patience. Sometimes I think we have forgotten how to wait. To work. To want. Sometimes I think we’ve become so accustomed to a world of instant gratification, that we’ve lost the feeling of anticipation. Satisfaction.
Right, right, right!
Now left. Left.
Leeeeeeft.
Slow down, eh?
The road in which I find myself lately is something I couldn’t of imagined in my wildest dreams. The twists and turns and bumps and bruises and highs and lows have just been extraordinary. It’s not always pretty. It’s not always easy. There are quite a few days when I’d like to pull out my own hair.
But I’m trying to embrace the changes that come from going left when you thought you were supposed to go right. I’m trying to slow down in every aspect of life, both in my personal and professional worlds. I’m trying to be the type of person that stops to help a complete stranger for fifteen minutes, regardless of what it does to my jam packed schedule.
I’m trying to slow down. Eh?