OPINION
Page 6 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
July 18, 2016
Volume 26 Number 14
July 18, 2016
ISSN: 1094-9453
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MY TURN
n Dmae Roberts
Random thoughts as
summer slips away
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link, and a week flies by. Blink again, a
month. The older one is, the more time
seems to speed up. When I was a teenager,
time seemed to move so slowly. I couldn’t wait to
grow up, leave my parent’s house, go to college, have
my own apartment, and live my own life. Now time
flies by so quickly it’s as if I’m on a merry-go-round
watching scenes from my life swirl around me.
I find myself re-living past memories while
taking in the present moment by moment. The
future is filled with thoughts of things I’ve never
done as well as things I’d like to try that will
challenge me. I’m not quite ready for a bucket list.
I’ve never believed in one final list, though
throughout my life, I’ve kept lists of projects to
create, roles to play in theatre, and countries to
visit. Along the way, I found that as soon as I
checked items off the list, I added others.
Lately, I’ve grown tired of working on the familiar
— the tried and true — so I’ve explored new chal-
lenges in different disciplines and subjects. What
I’ve seen evolve in public radio and local theatre is
less interesting to me right now. When younger
generations of colleagues tell me about their “new”
ideas in radio, theatre, or multimedia, they seem
reminiscent of productions in my earlier years.
These days, I feel less inclined to talk about
theatre and radio projects I worked on back in the
late ’80s, ’90s, and double-zeros. (What is the last
decade called?) When I’ve spoken about them, I
received blank stares or conciliatory nods, or saw in
their faces the creeping realization that I’m much
older than they imagined. I smile, lend my support
or advice, and add my thoughts as a mentor; that
seems to be the major role I play these days.
In earlier decades, colleagues my senior were my
mentors. I gleaned their wisdom and went on to re-
ceive grants, opportunities, and awards at a rela-
tively young age. I always thanked my mentors for
their valuable advice in speeches and interviews.
Over the years, I’ve mentored and taught hundreds
of young people. Some dismissed my advice, but
occasionally, these same go-getters returned
sheepishly to seek more help. Maybe, when I was
their age, I was like that, too.
I guess that’s the way parents feel about their
B
kids. I never wanted children. I’ve been happy
raising my cats. My oldest kitty, Mimi — my first
one as an adult — lived to be 21 years old. My twin
tabby cats are now 12, but the boy, Joey, has become
sickly. My hubby and I give him medicine for
irritable bowel syndrome and feed him every few
hours in an effort to get him back to a healthy
weight.
As I grow older, I’ve find myself becoming
grumpier. I laugh at my possible future — destined
to resemble the old lady in a rocking chair on her
porch yelling at the neighbor kids to “Get off my
lawn!” Although, since my husband and I don’t have
a lawn, perhaps it’ll be more like “Get off our urban
farmyard!”
I have projects piling up on my desk and my
calendar is fully booked nearly a year out. I’m
excited most days about what I’m doing, but
sometimes it feels like a never-ending labor. Still, I
remain committed to making some kind of an
impact in our community by working on an Asian
American and Pacific Islander theatre company
and creating a pan-Asian online archive of oral
histories. I also find myself peering over the fence at
more personal projects and activities with greener,
more enticing pastures.
I have started writing a second book and a new
stage play. With summer in full swing, however, I
often just want to relax — sit in the sun, take a trip
to the coast or the gorge, go to the Oregon Shake-
speare Festival, pick blueberries in my backyard,
read as many scifi and fantasy books as possible,
watch new space-opera shows such as “Dark
Matter” or “12 Monkeys” on the SyFy network, or
binge-watch television shows I’ve not had a chance
to watch before, like “The West Wing” or “Jessica
Jones,” on Netflix.
I dream of long lazy days — of being bored and
sleeping more than six-and-a-half hours per night.
I’ve heard of the word “vacation” — something that
rarely comes easy to a freelancer like myself — and
it sure sounds good these days.
As I write, the summer is already slipping away.
Before I blink a few more times, it’ll be September
and I probably will not have accomplished every-
thing I’d hoped. Time moves too quickly. Blink.
Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication.
Wondering what events are going on this week?
Check out The Asian Reporter’s Community and
A.C.E. Calendar sections, on pages 10 and 12.
