Transitions of 2023

It is now the end of the first month of 2023 and like the snow on the ground in Toronto where I spent Christmas with my family, the memories of the hopefulness and enthusiasm everyone shared at the start of 2023 are still fresh. It is easy to have those shiny resolutions and goals dim after a few weeks of reality in the absence of festive lights and communal optimistic list-making. However, it is not hard to recalibrate if you remind yourself of your goals frequently and then forgive yourself if you’ve gone a little off track. I always acknowledge at the start of every new year, that some people will come and some people will leave us forever… and it seems like January always delivers on dramatic departures. This year, I say goodbye to my friend and colleague, Mark Akini Nottingham, epitome of the phrase “young veteran”, and my supporter. People familiar with my content will remember Mark from my very first Super Single Cindy sketch involving a highly misrepresented date for coconut water and doubles. Mark was supremely talented, generous, captivating to the eye and ear, and always true to himself. The theatre community in T&T has been battered by a wave of sudden losses Gregory, Chris, Raymond, Mr. Smith, Rhea, Clifford…and now Mark. It reminds me of how fragile life is and how important it is to let people know they are valuable, that I love and appreciate them, and that they bring tremendous meaning to this often confusing journey called life. Now that the second month of 2023 is upon us with so much still to be written in its profit and loss margins, I recommit to my personal to-do list which continues with me situated in LA. It is a year of transition and I am prepared for change.