Weave the Web

Towards the end of February, 2025, I get a call from Nicole and Haden.  Nicole seems quite excited when she says, "Nancy we have a surprise for you."  

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"Oh," I said, "What is it?"

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"I applied for you to be part of Generation Women and you have been accepted.  You will be on stage at Joe's Pub on March 19th!"

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"WHAT? WHO ME? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? NO WAY!  I CAN'T GO!"

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But I did go...  and these are my thoughts upon returning:

 

I am still soaring from the adrenaline, dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin that my body was producing in full force on Wednesday evening. It was truly a night I will never forget. Throughout the week prior to the show and even the day of the show, I had run the gamut of emotions from fear to dread to disbelief to resignation. While on stage, I was distracted by listening to the other stories. But then when the gal next to me got up, panic settled in once again. OMG! But I took a big breath and told myself that if I bombed and it was horrible, at least I would have another story to tell!! But then when I got up to the mic and started to tell my story, something happened, and it was like I was with old friends. I had practiced a lot, and really wanted to make eye contact and not simply read it- but when I looked out at the audience, all I saw was blackness. Yet early on I could tell the audience was with me, and I felt totally relaxed. I can’t tell you how much it meant for me to have my fan base there: All 3 sons, Clo and Nicole, Tim and Matthew. And then my cousin and her partner from Brooklyn were there and Pat and Marsha my lifelong friends from Connecticut came. A wonderful surprise was to see Fred Hickman’s granddaughters, Annie and Emily, who work in NYC and live very close to the theater. As you know, I turned 80 in July- and that was a shock! I AM OLD!!- No denying that! But think about it: I left SF on Tuesday morning, was on a stage in NYC on Wednesday, and I was back home in SF on Thursday! Now that’s what I call a Jet-setter- And because it was so much fun, I’m ready to do it again! Next time something like this comes my way, I’m not going to say, “NO WAY!” I’m going to say, “BRING IT ON!”I know this euphoria will pass and my arthritic bones will begin to sing again, but I can always re-live my New York moment and smile.

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And here is the live feed of the show: