“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
You don't walk away unscathed from an accident where the Greyhound bus you are on crashes into an 18-wheeler — killing and injuring all but a handful — and not wonder why you were spared. I stood there with the other survivors — sore, stunned, almost ashamed of the gratitude and relief we felt for not having suffered a worse fate... and terrified of having to board another bus to complete the journey. How did we know everything would be alright this time?
We didn't. But we did... get on another bus... and... we did keep going.
That teenage girl still whispers to me, reminding me to live a life of sweet surrender in which conflicting emotions can peacefully co-exist within me as I make my way forward. Drawing on fond memories of a Caribbean childhood filled with days on theatre stages and tennis courts, she challenges me to create and compete; to build organizations that nurture and celebrate the artistic talent in others; to create a world where the thespian and the businesswoman inside of me can work alongside each other, encourage each other and inspire others to keep going.
We didn't. But we did... get on another bus... and... we did keep going.
That teenage girl still whispers to me, reminding me to live a life of sweet surrender in which conflicting emotions can peacefully co-exist within me as I make my way forward. Drawing on fond memories of a Caribbean childhood filled with days on theatre stages and tennis courts, she challenges me to create and compete; to build organizations that nurture and celebrate the artistic talent in others; to create a world where the thespian and the businesswoman inside of me can work alongside each other, encourage each other and inspire others to keep going.
— Jeanine Barnett