Athena Grayson

Life, Act Two-sdays: Love The One You’re With

One of the liberties granted to me by entering Act Two is that I’m no longer so aggressively marketed to as I once was. Oh, I’m still chased down like a tired fox by a pack of starving ad-hounds when it comes to appealing to my motherhood and my skin elasticity, but I’m not so […]

Life, Act Two-sday: All In

Be passionate about something, and whatever that something is, if you’re passionate about it, do it.

Life, Act Two-sdays: Are You Still A…?

I won’t lie. Sometimes the curtain goes up in Act Two when you’re still merrily treading the boards and thinking you’re in Act One. Some transitions take the meandering route, allowing you to gradually ease into the second act after you’ve had time to make a costume change, shuffle things around in the props department, […]

Life, Act Two-sdays: Get Out Your Dictionary

The dictionary defines words. The sounds we make have meaning and the dictionary helps to codify that meaning, at least for words. But what about concepts? In the course of moving through Act I, I learned the definitions of some concepts that are Act I-appropriate. Thanks to the onslaught of marketing nonsense aimed towards young […]

Life, Act Two-sdays: The Beats

Doing something a bit differently in this post. Inspired by a comment on a yahoo group for Indie authors, I penned a response that was reminiscent of those times when the writing flows so well, it’s almost like the universe wants me to write what’s being written. The comment addresses how frustrating it can be […]

Life, Act Two-sdays: The Scene Changes

The players in Act Two are not the same people as they were in Act One. The dynamic force of life pushes us into changing ourselves into new characters. But it isn’t an unstoppable force. We are free to fight against it and we often do, choosing to hold on to our Act One notions […]

Life, Act Two-sdays: Childish Things

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11 One near-certainty of Act Two is the assumption that we should be beyond “childish things.” But which childish things? And who […]

Life, Act Two-sdays: Little Connections

Ever wonder why Old People (TM) make such a big deal about Christmas cards or birthday cards, or calling on the holidays? Or acknowledging each other in the grocery store or gas station? I used to think it was because these were the things you did when your life slowed down and you had time […]

Life, Act Two-sdays: Arcing The Second Act

Life, Act Two requires the good method-actor to shift into a different mindset. It’s not just a matter of learning new lines or stage direction. It’s about recognizing inside the actor’s studio of your mind that you are still the lead role in your Act Two. And it’s about understanding your character. The Lead in […]

Life, Act Two-sdays: Welcome To The Second Act

This is Life, Act Two. For most of human history, it wasn’t a given to get an Act Two. In fact, it’s still not. But it is worth recognizing. Because it needs to be recognized and acknowledged, otherwise it’s a whole bunch of stage time that gets wasted while the audience fidgets. People don’t talk […]