1. Get-up, gulp, and go for it!
2. Check off your ‘To Do’s’ and appreciate each step forward!
3. Embrace your flawsomeness and unique spin!
4. Push yourself more, more, more!
5. Focus on the good, the goofy and the giggles!
6. Laugh before you leap!
7. Jump off the old, land in the new!
8. Be your own wand — make your own magic!
9. Find the funny, even when it hurts!
10. Stick to it!
11. Believe it will happen!
12. Make the best of it, even when it sucks!
13. Believe in yourself and others will too!
14. Become what you respect!
15. Live with intent!
16. Be unstoppable!
17. Reflect what you desire!
18. Find your fire!
19. Tighten your ponytail and handle it!
20. Be the sunshine on someone’s cloudy day!
21. Be you, the imperfect you — the TRUE YOU!

Goal for 2020?

“Be me. The BEST me.“

How? “Not sure.” Who am I? “Umm… not sure.”

Gotta confess: There are too many voices freaking out in my head…

— in the casting room (when I’m focused on reading the CD’s expression instead of nailing my own read.)

— in the ER (when my fears get the best of me instead of me being the best I can be for the patients.)

— with Dr. A (when I’m trying to be awesome, instead of being authentic.)

… voices so loud I can’t even hear my own thoughts.

How’s that working out? “Not great.”
Self-sabotage? “Yeah, I’m really good at it.”

Let’s start with a little inspiration from Dancefluencers who are breaking stereotypes and dancing to the beat of their own AUTHENTICITY.

When I figure out how to access my own authentic mojo, I’ll get back to you. Stay tuned. I’m a work in process…

At the end of each year I post a list of Good Luck Superstitions. This coming year we not only need good luck, we need to fix what is broken, so I’ve added a few Good Luck Superstitions of my own.

GOOD LUCK SUPERSTITIONS —

LUG YOUR LUGGAGE around the block – (Packed with the the things you’ll need on your “Dream Vacay”.)

Go on a HOUSE CLEANSE on the 31st (Mop up the old mess so you can make room for the new mess.) 

GRAB THE GRAPES — (In-between midnight hugs and kisses eat 12 of them, making a wish with each of the 12 months to come.)

CARRY CASH at midnight – (For prosperity in the New Year… and while we’re on that subject…)

Put a GOLD RING in your Glass for the promise of riches — (But be sure you don’t swallow it, because that’ll insure a trip to the ER instead — which is so not where you’ll want to be on New Year’s Eve, trust me)!

Light COLORFUL CANDLES to create different outcomes — (Light a green one for good health, a yellow to improve your finances, an orange one for wisdom and a blue one for peace. Oh, and don’t forget the red one for the promise of PASSION!)

On the 31st open the front door and SWEEP OUT NEGATIVITY but open the windows to LET POSITIVITY IN – (But don’t sweep anything out on the 1st, especially a HANDSOME MAN bearing gifts : )

MAKE A LIST of all of the many things you want to forget in 2019– (Then light it on fire!)

LIGHT FIREWORKS (Scare away Evil Spirits!)

JUMP UP-AND-DOWN at Midnight – (Go as high as you can to encourage physical and mental growth.)

If your UNDIES are INSIDE-OUT or BACKWARDS — and you switch things around the first few minutes in the New Year, it either means the RED CANDLE worked and you started out the year with PASSION or you’re going to get all New Clothes (Something I can get very passionate about, ha!)

Oh, and if you’re wearing RED UNDERWEAR when you light the RED CANDLE, and move in for the MIDNIGHT SMOOCH and whatever it leads to — you need to know… RED UNDERWEAR signifies FERTILITY in Italy. (So if you’re Italian or in Rome when all of this happens or your RED underwear is backwards shortly after midnight — you might be expecting more than GOOD LUCK in the coming year.) Uh-oh!

AND A FEW OF MY OWN FOR GOOD MEASURE —

Subscribe to different NEWS-VIEWS on screens and in print to EXPAND YOUR MIND in 2020. 

Do SOMETHING KIND for someone else each and every day for GOOD KARMA in 2020.

SMILES are contagious, so be sure to spread them around for a HEALTHY WAY TO LIVE in the new decade.

Happy New Year —
xo/Evie

Wishing you a MERRY everything and

a HAPPY always…

xo/evie

No one ever would’ve called me political before. I didn’t worry about our world, it seemed like it was going well enough. But well enough seems like a long long time ago… Now I feel like I’ve got to pay attention or the whole world might go POOF!

So on this solemn eve of the historic impeachment public hearings, the only way I can counteract my anxiety is to think about a joyous eve… the one that happens every December 24^th.

Counteract Doomy-Gloomy with Festive & Bright!

Interestingly, this morning my bff Rachel,  knowing me as well as she does, texted me a link on this very subject. A sign? Maybe – I was planning to write this post for awhile…

24 LITTLE GIFTS EXTEND THE HOLIDAY SEASON

There are so many AMAZING ADVENT CALENDARS available this season — I’ve listed a few below. You’ll have fun researching them too. With a little help from Google, you’ll find Sock Advent Calendars, Wine Advent Calendars, Beauty Advent Calendars… If you can think of it, there’s probably an Advent Calendar out there. SUGARFINA has a super-cute one, but they’re sold-out online. SUGARFINA stores will get them, so if you’re in their neighborhood watch for them.

Hotel Chocolate UK has Advent Calendars in every Chocolate Flavor: White, Milk, Dark and more. Prices start at L12.50. Delivery is fast and reliable.

Meri Meri products put me in a good mood, even when I don’t get a callback. Their little house of hair accessories will get any little party animal into the holiday spirit. Priced at $42. (less if you’re a MOMA member.)

Check out the OPI Hello Kitty Nail Polish Collection @$49.90 — Purr-Fect!

What about the TEA LOVERS on your list? They can sip a cuppa something different every day in December. $32.00 from Palais Des Thes PARIS.

And the pièce de ré·sis·tance… DIPTIQUE PARIS has the most luxurious Advent Calendar of all, featuring candles, fragrances and skincare products with a lucky charm theme this year. I know I’d feel lucky to get this gift, hint-hint! Pricey at $425.00 but there’s a lot of product in this special gift. (Dream on, Evie…)

The NEWS is BUMMING ME OUT. Big shock. It’s bumming everyone out. Divisiveness, name-calling, blame-gaming – it’s happening every day, obnoxiously… sooooo obnoxiously!

What happened to —

• “Live and Let Live”
• “Agreeing to disagree”
• “Doing onto others…   ???

Why can’t our government work more like a hospital?

One of the things I really like about Volunteering in the ER is that it’s an equalizer. Old, young, rich, poor, black, white, brown, yellow, educated, uneducated, males, females, gays, lesbians, gender non-specifics… everyone gets sick. Everyone has accidents. Everyone needs medical assistance at one time or another.  Doctors, Nurses, Surgeons, Anesthesiologists, EMTs, Clinical Partners, Radiologists, Environmental Service People come in all colors, all ethnicities, all religions, all economic groups, and guess what – everyone manages to successfully work together. Go figure. 

As a volunteer I always try to find the common ground. It’s always bonding in some way. Finding the common ground immediately helps the other person relax. It’s easier to solve problems when we’re not biting each other’s heads off.

Let’s bring back civility. Let’s listen to each other, learn from each other and find the common ground.

Wish someone would help us relax on a national basis, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon.

We need to reclaim our humanity and make America kinder again…

Enuff said. 

VOLUNTEERING in the ER is sometimes the BEST, sometimes the WORST. Sometimes it gives me a lump in my throat.  Experiences unexpectedly stay with me, depending…

Life-and-death, happy-sad, love-hate: I’m emotionally all over the map.

VOLUNTEERING PUTS PROBLEMS INTO PERSPECTIVE

I always flashback to Orientation when my supervisor Charlayne scolded: “If y’all can’t focus on the patients, get your poor-me selves outta my department”

THE ER IS THE UNIVERSAL EQUALIZER

Patients with chest pains, symptoms of strokes, or difficulty breathing are all treated exactly the same in the ER. It doesn’t matter if you’ve donated a gazillion dollars to the hospital, or if you’re super famous, or homeless and can’t afford to pay your bill. Life-threatening symptoms get priority. Period.

INCLUSIVENESS IS PART OF THE MAKE-UP

The Hospital is the one place where diversity is a given: staff-wise, patient-wise and family-wise. Everyone is there to help or be helped. Tolerance is the normal state. If only the world would follow suit.

IT’S NOT ALWAYS A HAPPY ENDING

When someone dies and the family hasn’t been told yet, holding back the tears is a major challenge, even for an Actress.

I’M CHALLENGED BY LUMP IN MY THROAT MOMENTS

When a mommy and child come in, memories flood. I have to step away to compose myself because I identify so closely. In some ways it’s good because I can be compassionate. In other ways, not so much, because I’m on the verge of behaving like a basket-case.

THE SIGHTS, THE SMELLS, THE SOUNDS ARE DISGUSTING

Gotta be honest, the ER can get pretty gross fast. That’s when we page “Environmental to Triage, STAT!” I don’t know how they do it (but thank God they do!)