<html><head></head><body style="zoom: 0%;"><div dir="auto">Sometimes we all have to walk away from something. It's not easy, but once done a weight is lifted.<br><br></div>
<div dir="auto">I, of course, write this from 12 time zones from where Sharon and I lived for almost 40 years.<br><br></div>
<div dir="auto">Be well on your journey and know that you made an impact on many lives. Keep up whatever good work Universe chooses to have you do, it may be surprising.<br><br></div>
<div dir="auto">Jerry and Sharon</div>
<div class="gmail_quote" >On Nov 14, 2021, at 20:11, Dave Vick via Stagecraft <<a href="mailto:stagecraft@theatrical.net" target="_blank">stagecraft@theatrical.net</a>> wrote:<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
<pre class="blue">On Fri, Nov 12, 2021 at 8:18 AM Booth, Dennis G via Stagecraft<br><stagecraft@theatrical.net> wrote:<br><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 1ex 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid #729fcf; padding-left: 1ex;"> This post came up in my FB memories this morning, OP from Kristi R-C, July 18, 2014:<br> Wanted to share this from Dave Vick on why he does theater...<br> <Big Snip><br> The Theatre is Magic. And if it ever stops being magic, then it'll be time for me to die, because there will be no more magic left in the world."<br> I remember being inspired by this at the time, and I still am. Not time to die, though. Time for new adventures.<br></blockquote><br>[*teleporting in*]<br>Hiya. How y'all doin'? It's me...<br><br>I've been off and on the list lately (more off than on if I'm honest),<br>depending on how I feel from day to day, but I've seen the tavern's<br>reaction to my earlier farewell post... And, to be honest, I'm<br>completely gobsmacked by it. I absolutely *NEVER* expected I'd've had<br>that much of an effect on so many other people; I've basically gone<br>through life thinking of myself as "that loudmouth from East Cupcake."<br>I am extremely humbled - seriously weapons-grade Humbled - by all of<br>your responses.<br><br>I'm decloaking today because I feel I must address Dennis' quote from<br>my heart-of-hearts... For the record, I still feel that way, and I<br>always, always, always will. Always. Yup.<br><br>I'm leaving, though, because here where I am, the socio-political<br>bullshit surrounding the Magic grew completely untenable, for a number<br>of reasons directly and indirectly attributable to the Pandemic (and<br>recovery from same) and the general State of Affairs here. I shan't<br>list the myriad reasons here; most of which are local Union & Employer<br>matters, and as such, are NOYB.<br><br>In full disclosure, I will also reveal to you that I've long wrestled<br>with some personal issues of depression, going back to what may be<br>charitably considered a "troubled childhood." Theatre was Magic<br>because it was my escape. And now, after a lifetime in Neverland, my<br>escape was turning into a soul-crusher.<br><br>The nadir came two-ish weekend s ago, when after a few days of<br>assorted work-related socio-political horseshit (I was at the time the<br>President of my IATSE Local and, as such, prime target for the<br>throwing of hot monkey poop by all and sundry), I couldn't muster the<br>gumption to even get out of bed.<br><br>On my bedroom wall is a gun rack that I carved about ten thousand<br>years ago out of some exquisite spalted Ambrosia maple . It holds my<br>prized 12ga. trapshooting & sporting-clays shotguns; beautiful guns<br>from Spain and Belgium, hand-engraved, handcrafted works of art, worth<br>absolutely stupid amounts of money. And all I could do that morning<br>was lie there in bed and stare at those shotguns and think to myself,<br>"I can make the pain go away. It'll be so easy."<br><br>And that, my brothers and sisters, was the point when I had my Moment<br>of Clarity: I Can't Do This Any More.<br><br>Sadly, around here I can't do Magic without having to deal with<br>Bullshit. So I have to stop doing Magic, or I will die by my own hand,<br>because moving away from the Greater Metropolitan Cupcake Area is most<br>assuredly Not An Option. So Dennis is right; it's not time for me to<br>die... Not yet, anyway. And most definitely not by high-velocity lead<br>poisoning. The Theatre is *still* Magic, but as strongly as I still<br>believe that, I have to be strong enough to walk away from what I love<br>beyond all measure. For a while, anyway... Maybe a long while...<br>Who knows?<br><br>Anyway... Enough of my blathering. I wanted y'all to know I love y'all<br>(in my way), and I'm utterly stunned by your kind words. (Obviously<br>not stunned speechless, but... Well... It's me, right? The Loudmouth,<br>right?)<br><br>Y'all stay safe, now...<br>[*teleporting out*]</pre></blockquote></div></body></html>