Coming Home after Life in the Big Apple

BY KAREN COOPER

As a child filled with wanderlust and for as long as I can remember wanting anything, I wanted to live in New York City. The BIG Apple, the place where anything is possible in a city that never sleeps! It beckons you at every turn… on TV, in the movies…you read about it in magazines and books. To a young, precocious girl in North Carolina, it seemed like an impossible dream…but fate said, “Girl…keep dreaming BIG”!

By the age of 17, I found myself in college in Manhattan, living a life I could hardly believe was mine. I pursued my college degree, then a few different careers and ended up living in New York City for 12 amazing, lively years. The tragedy of 9/11/2001 was what brought me back home.

Moving back South brought me back into the bosom of my family, the nostalgia of my past. It was a different kind of dream come true. Something I ached for inside, but didn’t realize it until I came back. In the South, I found that I could slow down and catch my breath, I could think about buying a house and I could have babies. Those were all things that seemed impossible living in such a fast-paced, expensive place like New York, and they were all things I was really craving in my life at the time. But there were the other things too, the more subtle “welcome homes” that twist around a cold Northern transplanted heart like a vine of Kudzu on a hot summer day and don’t let go. Things like…

• Family telling you to come hug their neck or give them sugar;

• One of your 12 great aunts telling you not to be bashful about going back for seconds;

• The smell of thunderstorms…they smell different here;

• Knowing when you order tea, it will be cold and sweet;

• Allowing the Y’alls to wash over you and remind you, you’re among your people;

• Deviled Eggs!

• Listening to the stillness and only hearing the crickets sing;

• Seeing the stars;

• Catching a whiff of honeysuckle in the air; I never did like things too fancy. I live now in a sensible three-bedroom ranch house with a husband, two kids, and a dog, where once it was just me…five flights up… in ONE pretty small room of my own… in New York City. I don’t regret a thing! I loved where I lived then, and I sure do love where I live now…especially living in Winston-Salem! It’s my favorite of all the North Carolina cities…and I’ve tried all the big ones!

Bless my heart, am I glad I came home! I want my children to know their roots, to know their grandparents, the people and places they come from and their traditions. My father always told me this would matter to me one day…that this history, this place of ours would be important to me, and now I can say he is absolutely right. It took me a while to understand.

• Your plate arriving at breakfast with the biscuit completely drenched in sausage gravy and a heaping side of grits;

Heaven on earth!

“To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.” ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 My Northern friends never quite understood how Mama and Daddy, sweet tea, biscuits, and babies could compete with life in the Big Apple, but they weren’t from around here, and I could never really explain it…no matter how far you try to run away, even if you’re sure it’s for good this time…the South always has a way of calling you home.

“To Thine Own Self Be True” Shakespearean Favorites for Kids!

BY SUSAN B. B. SCHABACKER

March is here, and another line from a Shakespeare play enters the scene. . . “Beware the Ides of March,” warned the soothsayer in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar as a prophetic precursor to the assassination of Julius Caesar (“et tu Brute?”) Whether the brutal overthrow of the Roman ruler and other dramatic Shakespearean tragedies (e.g., Romeo and Juliet and Anthony and Cleopatra) are more your cuppa tea, or whether you are fonder of complexly crafted comedies that tickle your funny bone (e.g., Much Ado about Nothing and As You Like It), share your passion for Shakespeare with your young ones.

Whichever you fancy, explore masterfully woven narratives, complete with plot twists, character complexities, and poetic verbalizations that woo the most romantic of us. Shakespeare buffs rejoice! Methinks you’ll be excited and entertained with these kid-suitable Shakespearean suggestions.

SMARTLY SELECTING SHAKESPEARE Gauge a child’s maturity level and interest to know what to share when. Consider beginning with comedies, especially with the youngest children. Numerous resources and adaptations are tailored towards children. Don’t overdose on Shakespeare and overwhelm the kids. Forgo the adult approach by having them read and watch the entire play until they are ready. Shakespeare’s works are timeless classics and are available in multiple multimedia options. Explore the possibilities in children’s books, audio versions, BBC radio, and animated games.

Best advice? Be creative! Young ones often have shorter attention spans, so think like a kid and engage them with fun, interactive experiences that are interesting, stimulating, and challenging (but not too challenging). As a responsible parent or guardian, filter before sharing. Some adult themes in Shakespeare’s work you may want to save for later.

“ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE” – PERFORM YOUR OWN SHAKESPEAREAN PLAY Pick a fav or string together snippets of Shakespeare plays with a home-theatre performance. Let an adult be the casting director and hold non-stressful auditions that challenge kids to engage with their audience and explore different roles.

Have kids swap roles, trying different interpretations. Ask them about their fav roles and encourage them to be playwrights and write their own monologues and dialogues inspired by Shakespeare. Adapt the scenes for modern-day, and try a more contemporary and real-atable approach. Coach your actors in rehearsals to get them show-ready, and plan out the other production aspects like set design, costumes, audience invitees, and concessions.

SING SHAKESPEARE: FROM SONNET TO SONG For the musically inclined, create Shakespearean songs. Collaborate on lyrics and develop a melody with an instrument(s) of your choosing. You can include this music at the beginning, between scenes, and in the finale of your performance.

Want to capture and share this special performance? Make sure it’s okay with everyone first, and don’t forget to invite the “press,” including a designated photographer and videographer.

REAL-ATE TO WHAT’S REAL Reflect and journal about ways you can real-ate to Shakespeare’s colorful, complex characters. What characteristics do you share with the characters in the play? What makes you different? What are your real-ationships like and how do they unfold? Shakespeare masterfully holds a looking glass up to people. Help your children draw real-life lessons as they glimpse the characters’ strengths and weaknesses, motivations, and ambitions.

SHAKESPEAREAN SUGGESTIONS FOR KIDS The comedies are an excellent place to whet your children’s appetite. What could be better than the wonderment and appeal of fairy magic in the light-hearted fantasy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Other fun plays to start with include The Tempest, Much Ado about Nothing, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night.

SHAKESPEAREAN SAYINGS The Bard of Avon coined many new words and phrases and is credited with inventing more than 450 words that we use today, including favorites like “zany,” “yelping,” “grime,” “bandit,” “swagger,” and “dwindle.”

You may have heard and adopted some of these common expressions: “Knock, knock! Who’s there?” “in a pickle,” “wear your heart on your sleeve,” “laughing stock,” “break the ice,” “brave new world,” “the world is my oyster,” “wild goose chase,” and “full circle.” Your kids with “a heart of gold” (from Henry V, Act IV, scene 1) will be thrilled to know they are already quoting Shakespeare!