Destiny's Child

Hi Dolls,

My original blog post was going to be about dedication and hard work - inspired by Madonna's performance (and record breaking audience) at last week's Super-Bowl.

And then came the news about Whitney Houston. 

A tragic ending to a life that inspired so many of us.
I am sitting here thinking about watching her music videos as a child and literally just feeling so proud of a female with my skin color taking the world by storm.
And that beauty. 
And that voice.

Before learning of her passing, I had been thinking a lot about fate.
The people in my life (past and present) who have ended up with unhappy lives that started off with such promise.  We all have stories of old friends who were "stars" in high school and ended up in a bad marriage, became a substance abuser, or simply never lived up to our expectations.
What lead them there? 

FATE: that which is inevitably predetermined; destiny; Death is our ineluctable fate.

How much do we "chose" our destiny?  How much is God at play?
It is my personal belief that it works both ways.
While I feel very "guided" in my daily existence, I have always subscribed to the adage "God helps those who help themselves."

I've taken MANY acting classes and workshops and during the introductions there is always a woman that says "Well, I became a wife and a mom and put my acting aspirations on hold, and now I'm finally doing what I want to do, before it's too late"

I promised myself then and there, that would never be me. 
I would take responsibility for my own creative stirrings - and spare any later resentment I'd feel towards a husband and child for not following my heart.
Of course, it came with a tremendous amount to sacrifice.

The saddest thing about Ms Houston's passing is that we kind of saw it coming, didn't we?
While we were heart-broken by the sudden deaths of Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse...were we really that shocked?
How we prayed that they'd get better and make a come-back for the fans. 
For themselves.

Then there's that dark horse that surprises us. 
People who beat addiction, cancer, bankruptcy, bad press!
For some reason, the keep going.
Because the have to.

And then there's Madonna.
Could anyone have predicted this career in 1981?
Or that she'd sign a NEW (lucrative!) record deal at the age of 50??
Love her or hate her - the woman doesn't stop.

In 2007 she stated:
"I want to be like Ghandi, and Martin Luther King, and John Lennon...but I want to stay alive"
So do I man.
So do I.

Until next week, my lovelies...

"You may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?"

~ Talking Heads