Molly is getting settled at Wake Forest University in North Carolina for a three-week theatre program.
Somehow, this little girl who just days ago (it seems) was asking me to tie her shoes boarded a plane yesterday for yet another adventure.
My, how quickly they grow up . . .
Her texts this morning have been absolutely glowing. She loves everything about where she is. I'm not sure of all the details, but the program is a collaborative theatre program where actors are encouraged to press the limits, use their gifts, explore new things, and create new work - without fear of failure.
In fact, the first Facebook posting from the program was entitled "the mistake-making factory."
I like that.
Imagine what we could do - actors and the rest of us - if we weren't afraid of making mistakes. Imagine what we could do if we weren't limited by the judgments and criticisms of others. Imagine what we could do if we honestly felt free to use our gifts and go beyond our own self-imposed limits.
I'm pretty sure that Molly will thrive in that environment over the next three weeks, but I'm even more certain that we would all be better off living with that same approach.
I'm not really a fan of failure, but maybe life really is a "mistake-making factory." Of course, we'd love to minimize our mistakes - especially the ones that tend to cause damage. At the same time, our mistakes can be great opportunities for growth and creativity and maturity and humility.
Just above that picture on the "mistake-making factory" on Facebook is a picture of a room filled with about a hundred young actors from all over the world. And their faces communicate invitation.
Try something you haven't tried before. Give it all you've got. If you're going to fail, fail big. Give us everything. There are no mistakes here; just opportunities.
I'm not sure what it would be like to live in that kind of environment.
But I'd sure like to give it a try . . .