Inspiration is a fine pole star. Schumann’s Fourth Symphony is mine, elevating the goal, tapping glorified energy to direct my path. What is lacking is the push to handle the daily grind on the way to exultation.
Molly (the unsinkable) Brown is my guiding light for simply plowing through whatever the daily grind throws at me. I first made her acquaintance when Burgess Meredith’s Broadway production came to fruition as I was blooming early on in my New York City phase. Three times I returned to soak up the relentlessly upbeat score, a natural affinity for a former cheerleader. Tammy Grimes, a petite powerhouse, epitomized Molly for me, infusing my imagination with an energy that has survived the decades. Her husky voice conveyed Molly’s grit and determination to make a better life for herself. In the Hollywood version Debbie Reynolds added sparkle to grit: a more polished, less earthy Molly.
Molly’s spirit is very much with me these days, the original cast recording filling my hospital room with energy and life. The very first number says it all: “I Ain’t Down Yet!”. Here she sings: “Sure I’m tuckered and I might give out, but I won’t give in. … There’ll come a time when nothin’ nor nobody wants me down like I wants me up. … Oh I hate that word down, but I love that word up. ‘Cause up means hope and that’s just what I got. Hope!”
Molly Brown’s energy accompanies me- along with all of you- on this journey … “WE AIN’T DOWN YET!!”
Copyright 2007
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