Quote of the Day:  paraphrase of the final scene in On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson
Ethel: Let’s just stay here all year, Norman.
Norman: Then, Charlie can find our frozen bodies in the spring.
Ethel: Then, let’s take it all with us back home.

Do you feel that way when you leave your cabin, or vacation place? I do. In fact, it was the perfect set-up for me to be watching On Golden Pond last night at Beth Selinger’s brand new Cream of the Crop Theater in Randall, MN. I had just returned from spending the week at a family camp on Lake Carlos with my boys, parents, siblings, cousins, extended family, and others. It is so hard to leave. You want to take it all with you, the sound of the loons, the lapping of the lake against the shore, and the wind rustling the leaves of the trees. You want to linger just a little longer, wanting one more game of Scrabble with grandma, another swim out to the floating raft, a few more moments of sitting around visiting with friends and family, hearing your kids laugh and play together. But, you can’t stay there forever. And, as you pack up, you know another year will pass before you’re back. We’ll all get another year older. The kids will move out and on. Your own dad might turn 80, like Norman in the play.

Christopher Plakut as Bill Ray and C.J. Anderson as Norman Thayer Photo by Beth Selinger

Christopher Plakut as Bill Ray and C.J. Anderson as Norman Thayer
Photo by Beth Selinger

On Golden Pond is a story for the ages. It’s about the cycle of life, how some things change, while others stay the same. It’s about our longings for relationship, healing and rebuilding, and spending time together. The folks out at Randall did an amazing job of bringing that to light on their stage.

Friday night’s audience came ready to laugh, to feel, and to respond to these very real characters. The ladies sitting next to me in the front row are all in a Friday night social group, and they said it was an easy decision on what to do last night! When the play was over, I overheard them say, “I don’t know how they’re going to top that one!”

Beth says she’ll try. She’s just getting started, folks. With all the support from her community, she’s sure to thrive. She’s planning a murder mystery dinner theater for the fall, something that gets us in the mood for Halloween. If the community continues it’s grand support from actors to audience, there is no limit to what can happen.

Cast of On Golden Pond at Cream of the Crop Theater in Randall, MN

Cast of On Golden Pond at Cream of the Crop Theater in Randall, MN

Wherever your “Golden Pond” is, I hope your next visit there fills you with the same inspiration you’ve always felt, good times with good friends and family, and that you carry those moments with you into the winter months and the days of drudgery and isolation. May the promise of another great summer (or vacation) there keep your heart pumping just a little stronger.

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt:  Where is your “Golden Pond?”