Beth Bornstein Dunnington
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A Circle Of Women

February 2, 2018

Something extraordinary at LAX today… (writing this on the plane). I was at the gate, waiting to get on my plane to Portland. Flights to two different cities were boarding on either side of the Portland fight. A toddler who looked to be eighteen or so months old was having a total meltdown, running between the seats, kicking and screaming, then lying on the ground, refusing to board the plane (which was not going to Portland). His young mom, who was clearly pregnant and traveling alone with her son, became completely overwhelmed… she couldn’t pick him up because he was so upset, he kept running away from her, then lying down on the ground, kicking and screaming again. The mother finally sat down on the floor and put her head in her hands, with her kid next to her still having a meltdown, and started crying.

Then, this gorgeous thing (I’m crying just writing this)… the women in the terminal, there must have been six or seven of us, not women who knew each other, approached and surrounded her and the little boy and we knelt down and formed a circle around them. I sang “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” to the little boy… one woman had an orange that she peeled, one woman had a little toy in her bag that she let the toddler play with, another woman gave the mom a bottle of water. Someone else helped the mom get the kid’s sippy cup out of her bag and give it to him. It was so gorgeous, there was no discussion and no one knew anyone else, but we were able to calm them both down, and she got her child on the plane.

Only women approached. After they went through the door we all went back to our separate seats and didn’t talk about it… we were strangers, gathering to solve something. It occurred to me that a circle of women, with a mission, can save the world.

I will never forget that moment.

Envisioning Stars

3/20/2020

 
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Awake at 4 a.m. in Hawai'i, so I went outside to see the stars... to be part of something bigger, something not inside.

There aren't any stars visible tonight, only a blanket of black.

I sat on the ground looking up, envisioning stars. So much of what has to happen now is us envisioning. Envisioning wellness. Safety. A solution.

My child on lockdown across an ocean... envisioning him here with me, later. My other child, in a place too far away to even consider. Envisioning my children, safe.

All of our children. Safe.

This distance will lead to connection, they say, because the curve will flatten if we respect the distance. Trying to respect something that goes completely against my grain.

Distance.

Outside, looking into darkness. It's hard for me to be patient awaiting the stars' return. To not feel disappointed; I count on the stars for so much. Maybe tomorrow.

The next day.

Waiting it out... Letting it be what it is and still seeing what needs to be seen. 

Because it's all there. Everything. Our lives. The stars. Our kids, somewhere else on lockdown.

A solution, in the distance.
​
So, we wait... and we keep looking up. 💖

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  • Home
  • Big Island Writers' Workshops/Galleries
    • Write Now Online
    • In-person Workshops
    • Writing Retreats
    • Writers' Portraits
    • Testimonials
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    • Acting Gallery
    • Directing Gallery
    • Class Gallery
  • Waking Up In Hawai'i Blog
  • Bios
    • Writing
    • Theatre
  • Calendar
  • Contact
  • New on Facebook
  • Performing The Story
  • Performing the Story Gallery