155. I'm Fine, Thanks: Part One (A Window)

"When a door closes, a window opens." - Dutch Proverb

Remember Saturday, Feb 18th when I had to write the SADDEST blog post in AcceptanceProject history... The Juilliard Door Closes?

Ugh! What an awful morning of writing that was!

I was sooooooo disappointed to get that rejection email from Juilliard. Very, very, very sad. It's tough to share publicly about personal heartbreak...I find it's much easier to write about happy-go-lucky-fun-easy-successful-experiences...But the brutal thoughts that go through your head when you face a crushing disappointment or defeat are all part of the process too and need to be written about...However, it is not so easy to explore the depths of those feelings in a public forum.

Anyhoo, I knew I had to write that post...because this AcceptanceProject wouldn't be a TRUE exploration and record of this process if I DIDN'T go there.

It would have been a total cop-out to just write..."Yeah, so didn't get into Juilliard. No biggie. I'm good with it. No worries!!!!" LOL!

Also...I know none of you would have BELIEVED that bull-crap anyway. You all KNEW how much love/sweat/time/tears/love...and did I mention LOVE...that I put into that whole Juilliard audition. You all KNEW that rejection letter would be particularly hard to handle.

Well, folks....there is a lot more to the story of what happened the day that I posted that entry. And today I'm gonna reveal the amazing and unexpected WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY that appeared that afternoon.

I ended that sad Saturday morning's post with this...

"The door at Juilliard has closed for 2012...but there's gotta be a window in here somewhere..." 

Little did I know that a WINDOW would appear...THAT VERY DAY...and I'd only need to wait until 3:45pm to receive the voice mail of a life-time.

(Oh, Universe...you are so timely and prompt with your gifts...Really, it's incredible.)

This is sorta how that fateful Saturday went for me...

February 18, 2012...

7:30am - Woke up in the morning...early.

Made myself some hazelnut coffee with milk and sugar. My fave.

Got back in bed with my laptop and my comfort-coffee.

Wrote my saddest post ever. Cried to myself while writing it. Very emo.

10:16am - Clicked "Publish Post."

Leaned back. Head on pillow. Closed my eyes. Snuggled in with my two bestest friends in the whoooole wide world: my computer and my iPhone. We cuddled until we all fell asleep.

All the months of preparation and hoping and blogging and…I don’t know…Just, everything felt sooooo exhausting and I could NOT handle being awake anymore. My body seriously needed to shut-down and re-set.

11:45am - Riiiiiiiing!

Woke up to a phone call from former acting teacher, mentor and dear friend Robert Parsons.

Encouraging chat with him helped to motivate me to peel myself out of my bed...and into the shower.

Got dressed.

Moped around the apartment for a while.

Opened up my computer again...Putzed around on FB...reading other people's... I'm-planning-a-vacation-to-Maui and Just-got-cast-in-this-kick-ass-show and Getting-Married!!!...statuses and thinking about how great other people's lives must be and how I am having such a self-indulgent-pity-party right now. Deeeeepressssing.

Life is not looking up...It is looking down, down, down.

3:45pm - My cell phone rings. It's a number I don't recognize, with an area code that's unfamiliar to me. So naturally, I don't answer it. I let it go straight to voice mail.

I stare at my phone for a few seconds... quizzically...Who in the world could possibly be calling me from the 317 area code? Where the heck is that anyway? (Indiana.)

The voice mail pops up on my screen.

Huh…weird. They actually left me a voice mail. Must not be a wrong number. I think to myself.

I listen to it. The voice sounds sooooooo familiar…

“Hi Virginia. I can’t possibly make up for the news that you got about Juilliard yesterday, but my name is Adam Baker and I would like to talk to you about being in a documentary we’re going to be filming. We are going to be in NYC on Feb 28, 29, and March 1st. Want to touch base with you. My partner Grant and I are very interested in your story and your passion and we’d love to try to make it happen if you’re available on one of those three days. Hopefully we’ll see you in a week or so…if you’re available. Time’s flying! Give me a call back and hopefully we can connect. Thanks, Virginia! Bye.”

Whhhhhaaaaaaat????? 

A DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER is calling me and wants me to be in his film?!!!!! And this guy has CLEARLY read my blog post today...WHICH is CRAZY/AWESOME in and of itself!

Is this really my life? Me? In a documentary??? How freaking cooooool is that!!!!???

Wait a minute, wait a minute...

Who is Adam Baker, you ask? And HOW did he get my phone number?

Well the short answers are…He is a famous blogger that I follow and he’s formed a production company and is filming a documentary about the problem of complacency in America called I’m Fine, Thanks. And I gave him my phone number in an email I sent him last week...telling him about my Acceptance Project blog (in response to his blog post allllll about his documentary. (CLICK HERE.)

Basically, he sent out an email blast telling all his followers about this documentary film he's making. He asked for people to nominate other people...or themselves...to be interviewed for the film...people with inspiring stories who are "following their dreams."

So...naturally...I nominated myself. LOL!

"The door to opportunity is always labeled 'push'." -Anonymous

(Because, God knows, if you sit around and wait for other people to nominate you...you're gonna be waiting for a loooooooong time...'cause that ain't never gonna happen.)

SO I decided to be "okay" with being unabashedly self-promoting and tooting my own horn and telling him about this crazy acceptance project/journey I've been on...ya da, ya da. 

I mean, I feel like I have something to contribute to this film and me being SHY about it...is not helpful...not to me...not to him...and not to the people who might some day watch this film and be like..."That Virginia girl is INSANE...but she is clearly PASSIONATE in her insanity...So maybe I should get off my ass and follow my dreams too."  At least, that's what I HOPE people might think...

Me + Delusions of Grandeur = Yes

Anyhoo, I emailed Adam Baker....AND HE ACTUALLY CALLED ME AND HAS READ MY BLOG AND WANTS ME TO BE IN HIS FILM. 

AHHHHHHHHHHH!

Juilliard Schmuliard.

(For the hard-core AcceptanceProject blog followers...You'll recall that I blogged about Adam Baker's AWESOME TEDx talk back in December...Post #94: What Does Freedom Mean To You?... To check out that post CLICK HERE.)

Annnnnd...for those of you that are interested in more info about the film check out the director Grant's spoken-word poem promoting it...very theatrical...LOVE IT! See below...

Yes, folks... I did NOT get into Juilliard this year. 

However, I did get invited to be a part of a documentary... A creative project that I am HUGELY excited about and am HONORED to be able to lend my voice to.

Check back tomorrow for PART TWO: Filming.

Oh, yeah. Windows are opening, people. 

WINdows.

So how am I doing, you ask?

I'm FINE, thanks.

;-)

Loves,

V

"Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it, and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: hard work--and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't." -Lucille Ball