Floridian of the Month

It was one month ago today I was getting on a plane and leaving Los Angeles for Florida with nothing but faith that things would be okay once I got there.  I still wanted to be a funny librarian doing what I loved.  While things weren’t where I wanted them to be in LA, it was still a five-year investment and difficult to walk away from...even though I was probably the unhappiest I have ever been in my life.

Would I find library work in Florida?  Acting roles?  Places to perform comedy?

My faith paid off…in a matter of days. 

I applied to five library jobs and submitted a proposal to plan a fundraising event.  While at the library interviewing a local author for this blog, a comedy club owner booked me for a show.  In reading the local paper, I learned a film with James Franco was going to start shooting down the street. 

Was it really my faith that those opportunities happened?  Or was it me making an effort to find them?  I like to think it was both.  Of course, whether I get those jobs or people laugh at my jokes is out of my control and I’m done worrying about it.  More important than the acceptance of others is just me learning to be happy again wherever I am, because that is probably the one thing actually within my control and always has been.  After all, geography is just a zip code or a difference in humidity.  Only now instead of sitting in traffic for an hour to get to the beach, all I have to do is walk outside.

And performing at a comedy club on the beach?  Well, just watch how many times I smile.  Enjoy…

Back to Florida with Author Tim Dorsey!

After spending most of January wrapping up my five years in Los Angeles and relocating back to my native Florida, it seems only fitting that my first video interview of 2012 should be with Florida author Tim Dorsey at the Gulf Beaches Public Library.  It was there in 2005 that I met Library Director Maggie Cinnella and decided to become a librarian.  I cannot thank Maggie and Tim enough for welcoming me back with such kindness and humor, reminding me that you can always come home again…and usually with a ton of crazy stories about the journey.  Dorsey’s Serge Storms character seems mild compared to some of the people I have met over the years!  Enjoy the video…especially the beach walk with me! 

 

For more information on Author Tim Dorsey, please visit:

http://timdorsey.com/

For more information about events at the Gulf Beaches Public Library, please visit:

http://gulfbeacheslib.org/

 

Happy New Year!

Since it is already the 5^th, most of you have probably put away your party horns and finally sobered up from all of those champagne toasts!  I actually celebrated six months of sobriety yesterday – a decision I made back on July 4^th not as a result of alcoholism or drug addiction, but because I needed a very clear head to make an important decision that would perhaps alter my life in a big way - whether or not to leave Los Angeles.

As I am exhausted from traveling (and as a result developed a slight cold), I will utilize my activities and photos from New Year's Eve to tell a short story in how I made that difficult decision...

This past year was like a labyrynth of little bags of lights leading me on a path through the darkness of the unknown.  Some days it seemed like I was on the right path, only to be faced with a dead end where I would then have to turn back around and attempt a different approach. 

Once in awhile, out of the blue, a miracle would happen - like snow falling from the sky in Florida...

  

...or comp tickets to a Cheap Trick concert from an old friend, reminding me to remain hopeful and optimistic, things could change in a moment, often when you least expect them.

And while 2011 was full of obstacles and setbacks, there were several successes too.  Celebrating the New Year not with a toast of champagne, but sparkling white grape juice?  It took 20 years to accomplish that one!

And the next morning when I greeted 2012 with my eyes fully open - not influenced by alcohol or the opinions of others - I found that everything was suddenly so clear.  The resolution I tied on this 10-ft 'Resolution Dress' wasn't about zip codes, income, or job titles, but about my willingness to accept life's journey wherever it may lead me.

I know now that leaving Los Angeles isn't about quitting, giving up, or failing.  It isn't filled with anger or sadness either.  It is just another step in the adventure that is my life.  All I have to do is continue to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward. 

TO BE CONTINUED...

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of my friends and supporters of Stand-Up Librarian!  I am back in Florida with my family, where I am mostly enjoying the beach because it is so hot here.  Instead of a snowman, I had to build a sandman.  I named him Neil, in honor of Neil Gaiman who wrote The Sandman comic book series, but you knew this right?

The sunsets are absolutely incredible here.  This one inspired me to take off my flip-flops and Santa hat to go for a swim.  Until I got to the water and realized how cold it was.  Plus my parents were like "Put your clothes on, Meredith, there are kids out here!"

Then I got hungry and decided to make gingerbread because I am absolutely obsessed with it.  I don't know if this is because I am a 'ginger' or a just a fan of bread, so I did some research like any good librarian would.  Did you know we have Germany to thank for Gingerbread houses?

Instead of taking the next two days to make a Gingerbread Library, I settled on a Gingerbread Cheesecake, which I then topped with Gingerbread men cakes and Gingerbread men cookies.  Each cookie represents a guy I once dated.  Too bad I can't remember their names.

Anyway, if there is one thing I love more than libraries, it is the holidays! Whether walking on the beach, baking in the kitchen, or standing in a wooden wreath all by yourself, there are endless opportunities to give joy.  Writing on this blog always brings me joy, but it is a true Christmas miracle that there are people like you out there reading it!

     

I hope all of you have a safe and enjoyable holiday season with your family and friends.  It has been an interesting year but I am always aware that the true message of the holidays is to shop at Macy's.  No wait, stupid commercial just came on again.  The message is to BELIEVE.  In Santa.  In God.  In returns without a receipt.  Whatever.  Just believe in something.  We are all capable of anything if we believe...of course there is no guarantee on how long that will last, so that's where your family and friends come in.  After all, sometimes the best gift is just having someone believe in YOU!