Desperation and inspiration — Students of theatre learn to break down a script, line by line, into what the character wants. Knowing what the character wants in each moment drives the performance. The actor writes out each line of the script in a notebook and writes the motive translation adjacent, which always starts with…

So different from here — same same but different — In New Zealand, I grew up on Mork and Mindy and Sesame Street. I can say water in Spanish. Aqua. I lay on the floor in my pajamas every Sunday night to watch the stars shoot and Tinkerbelle fly over the Disney castle with awe. …

A forgiveness hack — Yes, I know. It was unforgivable. Truly treacherous. They clearly did not even know who you really are. They did not see you let alone feel you. How could they do that to you? You would never have done that to them. The betrayal, the cruelty, the utter sneaky lying…

No jam without digging — My high school motto was, no spuds without digging. At least that’s what my teacher said it meant. Sounded better in Latin. Palma Non Sine Pulvere No reward without effort. I recently dug my first hole. A real one, not a metaphorical one, of those I have dug plenty. …

Connecting with the Dead — The seance was conducted after Hannah’s father committed suicide. He shot himself in the head with a rifle laid between his legs and was found in a sleeping bag, inside the orange onsite work caravan. Hannah and I were fifteen. It was the eighties. We were best friends. The evening…

Thank heaven for little girls — Last weekend I hurt myself horribly by hefting a heavy compost bin. Suddenly I could hardly do anything. The muscles in my lower back felt wrenched from the bone and it was all I could do to get inside the house. Luckily I have an 11-year-old who can cook. Handy. …