Figuring Out How to Say Goodbye

A couple of posts ago I mentioned that I had no idea how I was going to say goodbye to Friends Like These. For now its journey has ended, which means my journey with it has ended. How do you say goodbye to something that has taken up 14 months of your life? A project you completely and fully believe in, something you've focused on for so long, that life without it doesn't seem quite right.

We did say goodbye, first in tears, then with photos, then with more tears and then a few more tears. It was a perfect ending to a perfect run. Three amazing NY reviews, listed as one of the things to see in NYC this week, we were truly embraced and blessed by the city of New York. To end on such a high note was indeed an incredible feeling.

The emptiness was still there (it will be there for a while). What to move on to is a question many of us are pondering now. I decided to keep a part of Friends Like These and my New York journey close to me to remind me of the memories, the experience, and the journey. So on Sunday I made my way over to the East Village, to a shop named "Whatever," and had an artist place two cherries on the inside of my right ankle. Cherries for The Cherry Pit Theatre -- the first theatre I SM'd in in New York City. Inside on Cherry are the letters FLT. The first show I stage managed in New York, the show that gave me so many experiences, helped me grow in so many ways, introduced to me incredible people and helped me create amazing bonds with some great friends. These letters also tie me forever to one of my best friends, Greg Crafts, without him none of this would be possible and so I proudly put the initials of his play inside the first cherry. Inside the second cherry are the numbers 14, 31, 4. Standing for 14 months, 31 performances, 4 productions.

It felt right to say goodbye to Friends Like These this way. Now no matter where I go or what I do it will always be there, reminding me why we do what we do and why all of this is absolutely worth it.