Amy Lu's View

Today is Day #22 of “40 Days of Awesome” (and yes I successfully continued the streak with a 5 mile indoor track run today).

The number 22 doesn’t have any special significance that I know of to running.  However, because of the play “Panache” that I was in this fall, I know it might have to do with awesomeness, as 22 was the favorite number of my character, Kathleen.

Kathleen loved 22 so much that she made her new friends Harry (Chad) and Jumbo (Gary) play Blackjack with 22, instead of 21, as the highest hand (Kathleen also “loathed and despised” the number 21). It was a pretty  funny part of the play, and great fun to work on, even when I forgot my lines. It was actually quite challenging getting the scenes when we played Blackjack down, because I know absolutely nothing about Blackjack (or cards) but friendship (and alcohol) made the hardwork a joy.

I also know nothing about Numerology, but I learned from Kathleen that in Numerology, 22 is the most powerful life path number. According to my extensive research (googling) Kathleen is right. I even tried to figure out what my life path number is, but quickly gave up because it involves too much math.

One of the many things I love about being a part of theater is that (to steal Current DJ Brian Oake’s catchphrase) I’m always learning. Okay, maybe I’m learning trivial things, like the basics of Numerology, golf, blackjack, and that Scarsdale is in New York, but I’m still learning and expanding my horizons.

Every play I’m a part of also helps me learn a little more about empathy, and how to see the world through someone else’s eyes. I always learn a little more about how to see the commonality between characters that, on the surface at least, seem very different.

I also love how theater weaves itself into my “real” life, and how those connections manifest in surprising and everday ways. I love how Kathleen came back to life for a bit today through the totally unrelated and mundane connection of the number 22 with my running challenge. I think THAT is pretty awesome.