It Starts with the Shoes

44 Marbles
The magician understands grace . .. knows those moments when they feel as if they are flowing with the universe and everything is going right.
Carol S. Pearson “The Hero’s Journey”
   
    I had a breakthrough with my script today.  My sister sent me a DVD with photos of our parents set to music and the first song was Mahalia Jackson’s “Walk Over God’s Heaven.”  It begins, “I got shoes, you got shoes, all of God’s children got shoes, my Lord…”  As soon as I heard the song, I knew it was the song for the teaser of the pilot.  I saw the first scene clearly and I began writing, “It starts with the shoes…” I found my way into the story.  
    I asked an actor friend of mine to read this draft and she loved the new beginning.  She told me that often when she’s searching for a way into her characters, she puts their shoes on and somehow she finds the inspiration she needs.  
    I did a bit of research into Mahalia Jackson and it turns out that she was from New Orleans, the place where the series is set.  She also recorded the song in the same era as the opening scene.  Sometimes life’s synchronicity amazes me and when it does, I’m extra conscious to say a big thanks for those moments of flow when everything is going right. 

Do you notice grace in your life? Do you appreciate when things are flowing and everything is going right? Do you know that you are the magician of your life?

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