“Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice.”
— Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3
“Give every man thine ear but few thy voice, and even fewer thy heart—unless they are in S.A.M.”
— Me, Act 1, Scene 1, New Year
Another year has passed, my Sam-sonian family. I don’t have resolutions this year; instead, I want to share something I’ve tried to live by and pass along to all of you: one simple way of thinking—give.
Does it always work? I don’t know. All I know is that I’ve never found another way. That’s how I’ve come to see theater and acting: as a great gesture of giving, tossing away that gesture, and—most importantly—forgetting you’ve done so. Then, I repeat. Give. Toss away. Forget. Repeat.
There’s no secret. If there is, it’s this: people. As long as I’m surrounded by people, the urge stays the same.
Do I dream? Of course, I dream. I dream big. But behind every dream lies the same gesture of giving. Learn to be generous. Learn to be grateful. Learn to be gracious. Learn from this year’s mistakes, so you can be true to yourself.
Honor freedom. Honor each other. Adore what you have—others secretly dream of the things we take for granted. You don’t know when the journey ends, just as you never knew it would begin.
Have a sense of wholeness. See beauty where it exists. Stop looking for reasons to blame others for your shortcomings. Smile when you can. When you can’t, make someone else smile for you.
Let’s stop acting like needy children. Be mindful of the ideologies you follow, and never bring them into our house. Keep ideas out; bring drama to the stage, not off it.
Apologize. It’s not easy, I know. Trust me—I know. Be humble—or life will humble you. Life is yours, but don’t be an asshole. Nobody has time for assholes.
Ask questions, but first, seek answers on your own. Listen. Have faith—because faith and doubt go hand in hand. Without doubt, faith would be meaningless.
Believe, but not egotistically. Believe in giving. Give. Toss away. Forget. Repeat.
All my love,
KF
