Social Butterfly?

My hermit ways seem to have taken a one-two punch last month.

First, the local production of the play Incorruptible not only thrust me into a local spotlight, it introduced me to new friends—family might be a more appropriate term—from a variety of social groups within Haines (see A Benediction from “Father Charles”). Then I went to the North Words Writer’s Symposium, where I bonded with people from around the state and the country (see Resonance and Courage). Now, I’m corresponding like mad, following up on topics raised during the symposium (newly revealed mutual friends, maybe even family connections) and coordinating social gatherings with the Incorruptible cast (perhaps even exploring further performances in other communities) via Facebook and email. I feel like a social butterfly!

Ironically, I’m doing this from quarantine.

Michelle got some sort of crud in May. No surprise, since her work in tourism brings her into contact with germ pools from around the world. She started out thinking she had strep throat. Instead, it proved to be a nasty, tenacious cold.

It hit her hardest just as we began rehearsals for the play. In my acting experience, falling ill during a production seems like a requirement! When the director first mentioned the possibility that I might be cast, one of my first thoughts was, “Am I ready to get really sick?”

It didn’t help that the director and several cast members started the production feeling ill. Most of it proved to be allergies, but caught between them and Michelle, I dosed with Vitamin C and Chinese herbs. That kept me healthy through the play, and the symposium afterward. However, the lack of sleep during the latter seems to have lowered my resistance, and I’ve felt early symptoms of Michelle’s crud since returning home.

So, I’m focusing on sleep, continuing the dosing, and generally trying to take it easy. I have to be well by Friday! Haines does First Friday events downtown. The Chisel Building that houses Alaska Rod’s, the store that specializes in local artists and writers, such as yours truly, turns 100 years old this year. The tenants are celebrating the centennial of this, Haines’s sky scraper (at an amazing 4 stories tall!) and I’ve been invited to do a book signing at this month’s First Friday. If you’re in town, please come and visit Friday evening from 5–7 pm, maybe get a book signed. I promise that if I still feel poorly, I won’t shake your hand!

I don’t know how long this will last. Likely, I’ll eventually fade back into the forest, return to my hermit ways, surfacing only once or twice a month, if that. On the other hand, I may be getting out and about, actually talking to people directly more often than I used to. We’ll see.

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