Heidi Mastrogiovanni's Blog

I have always wanted to use the word “freewheeling.” And now I have. And as it happens, it is absolutely not applicable to the discussion I had with Don Cummings. And just to be sure about that, I confirmed the definition, which includes: “loose and undisciplined.”

Yeah, no. My conversation with Don was the opposite of that. It’s not that Don speaks in complete sentences. He speaks in complete paragraphs. Complete, incisive, well-thought-out paragraphs. We talked for over two hours. During that time, he might have said “like” and “you know” once each. Tops.

Oh, and in the interest of full disclosure—

Yes, that is a phrase I have wanted to use for many years.
This is my first opportunity to employ it in print. Proving, once again, that
it is never too late…

So, full disclosure: Don is a relatively new and, in short order, treasured friend of mine. I met him at a reading. It was rapidly clear that he is smart and warm and funny. I subsequently read and reviewed his memoir, Bent But Not Broken. As you can see, I loved it:

https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/bent-not-broken

From reading Don’s work, I knew that he is tremendously
talented. And so I’d like to take this opportunity to officially announce my
candidacy for president of the Don Cummings: The Man and The Man’s Writing Fan
Club.

Y’all better vote for me after you read this essay. Because,
seriously, who’s gonna do a better job?

The catalyst for this particular lunch Don and I had was the
world premiere of Don’s play, The Water
Tribe, a joint production of VS. Theatre Company and Ensemble Studio
Theatre/LA at VS. Theatre, 5453 West Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles. Previews are on
January 10, 11, 12, and it opens Friday, January 17, with performances Fridays
and Saturdays at 8, Sundays at 2, through February 9, 2020.

I’ve read the play. Are you surprised to hear that I loved
it? I can’t wait to see it performed. And if you’re in the L.A. area, you
shouldn’t miss it. Tickets are available at: https://www.estlosangeles.org.

A bit of background on Don before I get to the substance of
our discussion. He was born in Bronxville and grew up in Suffern, both in the
Great State of New York. He attended Tufts University and spent a semester in
college studying in Paris. Right after college, Don went to the Neighborhood
Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City for two years to study acting
with Sanford Meisner.

Don and his husband Adam Waring, a TV writer and
entertainment exec, are “annoying Francophiles.” With their poodle/bichon
Maude, they live “on the edge of Hollywood, just south of the border; we can
see Hollywood from our window.”

Before I met with Don, I asked our mutual friend Carole
Real, a truly wonderful writer, to send me a list of questions she would want
to ask a fellow playwright. Her list, as with all her creations, is lovely and
inspiring, and it formed the basis, along with my observations from reading The Water Tribe, of my discussion with
Don. I am joyously indebted to her. In a word, Carole ROCKS.

Yes, she is so sublimely
fabulous, she deserves all caps.

Don and I got together at a restaurant in the Los Feliz
section of Los Angeles. The first place we went to had a line out the door for
counter service, and we were, like, yeah, fuck this standing around waiting for
maybe, what, half an hour bullshit, so we walked across Hillhurst to a place
Don knew that I had passed many times but had yet to try, and it’s now one of
my favorite restaurants. Lots of vegetarian options. Yay for that.

Other than pausing to tell the charming server that the
potato salad was the best I have ever tasted, and that was not hyperbole, we
spent just about all our time talking about writing and creating as it
pertained to Don’s new play and about writing and creating in general. I
recorded Don’s answers, of course, and about halfway through, I told him that
the transcript of his words should be the foundation of a book or the outline
for a master class on plays, writing, and storytelling.

That was not hyperbole. I typed his answers and I sent them
to Don as is. I hope he takes my suggestion and shares them with the world in
some fuller form. If he does, I expect my name to be listed first in the Acknowledgements section.

Don told me what his impetus was for writing The Water Tribe. As you can imagine,
water and tribes figure prominently in the story. Each of those words is
significant for Don as the conjurer of this tale. A big part of the motivation
began on a trip with Adam:

“When we were in Africa, I was
really moved by the pain of this woman in this Maasai tribe, and she really
kept staring at me and it was more than just interest. I decided, I don’t know
if it’s true, but I decided that she wanted out of there and it was really very
upsetting.

And I don’t know if I’m exactly
an atheist and I’m also against a lot of organized groups in general, so I
really wanted to write the play that was almost like a Bernard Shaw play, to
prove that tribes are terrible, and how everything about them is oppressive and
horrible.

And then I read about it, and if people are not in tribes,
they will die.”

As a side note: I’m a very social person, and I also need
lots of chances to be alone. I think that puts me into the category of
“extroverted introvert,” no? I share Don’s skepticism about group thinking. And
I found myself wide-eyed and nodding with recognition when Don spoke of the vital
need to be part of a community. It’s one of the reasons I’m a proud Democrat
(well, specifically a Femocrat); I believe we rise and fall together.

Regarding the significance of water in this story:

“The water actually came from
the Flint, Michigan thing. Did you know that Flint, Michigan is the tip of the
iceberg?

There are hundreds and hundreds
of municipalities in the United States that do not have drinking water; Newark,
tons of places in western Pennsylvania, everywhere.

Obviously the people in Africa have a lot of problems with
that. And the women. They get raped because they’re on their way five
kilometers back to their place when they go to get water and it’s very unsafe.”

Because virtually every activity has its hard parts and its
easier parts, Don discussed the easiest aspects and the hardest challenges of
writing The Water Tribe:

“The easiest thing was knowing
who the characters were. That came to me effortlessly. I knew the number of
characters. I knew I wanted a young couple and then there needed to be some
foils, and that all came to me and it was pretty easy.

The hardest part about writing
this play, and it’s the hardest part I have with every play, is not knowing
when it’s done. I don’t mind editing and killing my darlings, that’s fine, but
it was knowing which things to kill. And there was some stuff in this play,
about four or five items that were going on, that are just gone. And I would
say the hardest part wasn’t removing them, the hardest part was gaining
awareness that they needed to be removed. And without the help of others, I
would not have known it.”

Don spoke of where he would
like to see the play go after the premiere at VS. Theatre, and that included
the play staying in southern California “at the Taper or the Geffen or South
Coast Rep,” and a regional theater life with other companies performing it.

And then he got me teary when he told me what he would like
audiences to take away from his play, and so I want to quote his response in
full:

“I’m not going to answer this
with a particular response to what the story is, not about what people think
happens.

This is so general, but that’s
okay; I hope that people will listen to each other, in general listen to other
people, with a more compassionate understanding that everyone struggles. That’s
what I want. That’s it.”

May I echo Don’s lovely wish;
now more than ever…compassion, understanding, kindness.

I told Don that among the many things that struck me in reading The Water Tribe are his creation and expression of the protagonist, a woman. I confessed that I didn’t think I could do an honorable job of giving voice to a male protagonist in my comedic novels. Don explained his process in creating Claudia, the character who is the focus of his play:

“I have a lot of strong,
amazing women that I grew up with, so I’m used to having that around me. Part
of the reason why I became a playwright was because I was an actor. And part of
being an actor is that you’re constantly putting yourself in the shoes of
others, so it wasn’t that hard for me.

I’ve always had a ton of female
friends, so I don’t even really exactly understand this drastic line between
the two emotionally. I don’t feel distant from women, so I feel that I understand
them, and the truth is the lead character’s emotional life is based on my
emotional life. Of course it has changed and it’s fiction, but the feeling of
fear of abandonment and being not connected to others is something I feel. And
so it’s universal, and if it’s a man or a woman, it doesn’t make a difference.”

Don and I also talked about playwriting
in general, including the play he would pick if the world were to suddenly spin
off its axis and he were only able to see one work again for the rest of his
life:

“I would want to see The Three Sisters over and over again. I
want it to constantly change, and I want it to not only change in casting, but
I want it to constantly change in style, because for me it’s kind of a perfect
play. It’s probably the play that I’ve read the most.

That play, Burn This, and Who’s Afraid
of Virginia Woolf? are probably the three plays I’ve read the most. But if
I was in some kind of purgatory and I could just see one of them over and over
again, I think The Three Sisters has
the biggest world and the most room for variation.”

I asked Don if playwrights are
ever satisfied with their plays:

“I’m going to go in the opposite
direction. I think most playwrights always find something they think they could
do better, something could be better, this and that. I am not that person
because I like to move on to the next thing. And actually the truth is I’m
usually more satisfied. I feel that my job is to make sure the stuff on the
page is correct for me, and I have not been in a situation where I’ve had plays
and I feel like they need to be drastically changed, because I do work on them
for a long time before they’re up on their feet. Some painters have the
attitude, oh, I want to go back and retouch a little thing, or there are
novelists who, even when their novel is published, not only do they want to
change it, but they actually sit around and do. They take their published
manuscript and start tinkering with it. To me, that’s nuts. I like to move on,
so I’m actually usually pretty satisfied.”

Before we left the restaurant,
Don on his way to pick up something called a “jigsaw” (which is not, as I
assumed, a puzzle, but, apparently, an important tool in creating a stage set)
in the Valley because he is doing whatever needs to be done to get the show on,
and me to a quick stop at a pet store to buy yet another cozy bed for our three
rescued senior dogs, which I would then awkwardly carry the two-mile walk back
to my house because I may be an Angelina but I’m also, once and forever, a New
Yorker and I don’t need no stinkin’ car to cover a distance of 40 short NYC
blocks on a gorgeous day, I asked Don who he’d like to thank for this
production opportunity. I’m going to quote him in full again, because if Don
considers these people worthy of thanks, so do I and, in addition, I really
appreciate the values and sentiments Don highlights via the words he chooses to
express his gratitude:

“I really want to thank
Ensemble Studio Theatre/LA, especially for the development process. Without the
playwrights unit, this play would not be as good as it is, so that’s really
number one.

I have to thank Johnny Clark
for the space over at VS. Theatre Company. He’s always been a big supporter of
my work and we were always talking about the day when we could do something
together, and this is the one. So I’m glad that in an industry where people can
just say things and not mean them, he’s a great guy, he’s of his word, and at
VS. Theatre Company a lot of risk-taking wonderful new work happens. It’s a
great place. I’m really grateful to be a part of it at all.

And I have to thank Crystal
Jackson and Lizzy Ross, my co-producers, who are organizing everything. A big
thanks has to go to Tricia Small. Tricia Small is a tireless, super creative director
who has this incredible ability to not only work well with actors, but is
excited by design and the physical elements. A lot of directors are good at one
or the other. She really does it all. She’s willing to roll up her sleeves and
push her resources and her list of people who can help, including Adam Glover,
Tyler Matthew Burk, and Shara Abvabi, all deep creatives. She did all that and
more. I am super, super grateful.

And lastly my cast, Hannah
Prichard, Christopher Reiling, Jayne Taini, Jon Gentry, and Alexandra Daniels.
They’re having a great time, and, yes, I’m grateful that they’re doing it, but
I’m also really grateful that they formed a family and are having a good time.”

And now, having read this (and
having voted for me for Don’s Fan Club president…), I’ll bet you know who I
want to thank, right? Don. For his words, his work, his warmth, his wisdom, his
winning ways, his tolerance of my excessive love of alliteration.

If anyone’s looking for me on
opening night of The Water Tribe, I’ll
be that person sitting in an aisle seat desperately trying to dab at her tears
– of laughter and of heartbreak – before they make her mascara run down her
face…

The post IN A FREEWHEELING CONVERSATION WITH PLAYWRIGHT/WRITER/ACTOR DON CUMMINGS… appeared first on Heidi Mastrogiovanni.

When entering the intimate space of Ensemble Studio Theater/LA to see “Charlotte Stay Close,” the new play by Christine Hamilton-Schmidt, directed by Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx, excessively sunny Los Angeles immediately feels very far away. The audience is seated on all four sides around a sparse, elegant set consisting of a bed and two chairs. There is an open, square structure hanging from the ceiling. It evokes a skylight, and, at the same time, the neon lighting of a hospital room.

Jenny Soo and Andy Shephard, “Charlotte Stay Close”

The pre-show aural effects are subtle and gradually become hard to ignore, not that ignoring them should be considered a desirable goal. The tones (in a sound design by Stephen George that is uniformly excellent throughout the play) flow from what might be music to something that sounds like whale vocalization to a possible recreation of satellites orbiting. There is a sense of wonder, and vastness, that stays as a theme throughout the performance.

Andy Shephard, “Charlotte Stay Close”

Any apprehension that sightlines will render a character’s facial expressions unknowable is immediately allayed at the transition from the first scene to the second. In choreography that can only be described as mesmerizing, the actors change the perspective of the hospital bed so that it faces each side of the theater more than once during the course of the show.

Charlotte (Jenny Soo, in one of two alternating casts) is dying of cervical cancer. She has come home to the town where she grew up. Her sister Kathryn (Tarah Pollock) and Kathryn’s husband Dustin (Andy Shephard) have made a commitment to visit Charlotte every day while she is in hospice care. This commitment, it is revealed early in the story, will not be a lengthy one. Charlotte tells her sister that she won’t be around long enough for a miracle cure for cancer to be discovered; she feels that her death is already beginning.

A deceased mother and an absent father, each one remembered very differently by their daughters, are imposing presences in the lives of these three characters. Inanimate objects on the set, actual or spoken of, also play important roles. A water glass and carafe on the nightstand beside Charlotte’s bed are alternately the source of comfort and tension. When Kathryn keeps insisting that Charlotte drink and Charlotte tells her she doesn’t want to, Kathryn practically drowns Charlotte by shoving the glass in her face, declaring “I want to hydrate you.”

Never has the promise of life-sustaining liquid felt so threatening.

Kathryn is a study in the contradictions that can encompass the layers of a relationship. She alternates, sometimes at lightning speed, between compassion and cruelty. And none of it will be put on hold just because her sister is going to die at any moment.

Jenny Soo, “Charlotte Stay Close”

Indeed, as “Charlotte Stay Close” makes painfully clear, the world does not stop for imminent death. Anger, jealousy, selfishness – they will not be suppressed just because a young woman has no future left.

Much is made in this story of the fact that Kathryn and Dustin met in high school and married young. Their marriage is now in serious trouble. Kathryn, in a breathtaking display of narcissism, keeps asking her dying sister to tell her what to do about the relationship. When Charlotte’s answers aren’t clear enough, Kathryn tells her: “I really need you to make sense. This isn’t helping me.”

These are among the least unkind words Kathryn says to Charlotte in the course of the play.

Tarah Pollack, “Charlotte Stay Close”

In this atmosphere of anguish and despair, the actors give stunning performances. Every moment rings true, every piece of dialogue is honored. As Kathryn, Tarah Pollock – somehow, somewhere, in a way that is almost impossible to track – creates sympathy and a shade of understanding for this profoundly damaged character. Jenny Soo, as Charlotte, mines new levels of heartbreak. By the time it comes, her death will likely feel like a personal loss to the audience, and this reaction has been more than earned. Dustin is, at times, torn between the sisters. Andy Shephard makes his role in this triumvirate devastatingly painful and surprisingly charming.

The performers are aided by an impeccable script that brings humor to situations that feel impossible to make light of, by direction that makes everything work in seamless harmony, and by technical aspects that are a collective masterclass on how to stage a play.

The result is a production that is not to be missed.

Performances extended through November 3 at:
Ensemble Studio Theater/LA, 
3269 Casitas Ave. LA CA 90039;
for information and tickets: 
https://www.estlosangeles.org/

The post Theater Review: “Charlotte Stay Close” at Ensemble Studio Theater/LA appeared first on Heidi Mastrogiovanni.

Well, my dears, you all know how much I love reading. And I have the great pleasure and honor of being one of the reviewers for the Washington Independent Review of Books and the New York Journal of Books. So I thought I would share my reviews on a regular basis, because there are few things I love more than discussing books!

Enjoy!

Everything Is Just Fine: A Novel

A postmodern, epistolary take on the imploding centers of American communities.

From: WordsWordsAndMoreWords@sbcglobal.net

To: FrenchWoman4957@gmail.com

Subject: Omigod, I just read a WONDERFUL book!

I miss you! I can’t believe you fell in love in Paris and moved
there! I HATE that you don’t live here anymore! BFFs are supposed to
live in the same city!

I have to tell you about this delightful book I just read. I’m recommending it to literally EVERYONE. It’s called Everything Is Just Fine,
and it’s by Brett Paesel. She’s a writer and consulting producer and
actor, and I bet she’s hilarious in person, because her book is a hoot.

I swear, she hooks you right from the first moment, when she starts
the story with hints of past tragedy and with the promise of a decisive
act. Yeah, good luck trying not to immediately turn the page after
reading that.

You can read the rest of my review of Brett Paesel’s Everything is Just Fine: A Novel, on the Washington Independent Review of Books website, here.

The post IT’S HEIDI’S BOOK CLUB! WELCOME TO OUR INAUGURAL MEETING! appeared first on Heidi Mastrogiovanni.

I LOVE “THE WEEKLY CURMUDGEON,” and I was so honored and delighted to be a Guest Curmudgeon!

It was such a joy get on my soapbox in this fabulous forum!  My great thanks to the Curmudgeon for inviting me to vent!  Enjoy!

https://www.theweeklycurmudgeon.com/single-post/2019/03/25/Guest-Curmudgeon-The-Evil-Is?utm_campaign=051c9316-79e1-4c37-af85-089bcd16830d&utm_source=so

 

The post I was a Guest Curmudgeon!! appeared first on Heidi Mastrogiovanni.

Anyone want to guess how much I ADORE the words “Feminist” and Book” and “Club” being put together on this fabulous website? I was so thoroughly thrilled and honored to be a guest on wonderful Renee Powers’ delightful podcast. Enjoy!

 

[FBC5] Heidi Mastrogiovanni, author of Lala Pettibone: Standing Room Only | Feminist Book Club

The post Guest Appearance on Renee Power’s Podcast! appeared first on Heidi Mastrogiovanni.

Mandie is truly inspiring. My huge thanks to wonderful August McLaughlin for putting us in touch with each other.

Please enjoy my visit with Mandie. It was such a joy to speak with her.

http://www.mandiem.com/bold-moves-podcast-episode-205-heidi-mastrogiovanni/

And please enjoy my Fearless Fridays Challenge; I want to send extra thanks to Mandie for the lovely idea of encouraging people through her Fearless Fridays Challenges!

http://www.mandiem.com/bold-moves-podcast-episode-206-fearless-fridays-103-heidis-challenge/

The post MANDIE BRICE IS MY BOLD MOVES GURU, AND I LOVED BEING A GUEST ON HER FABULOUS SHOW! appeared first on Heidi Mastrogiovanni.

I had such a wonderful time visiting with my dear and inspiring friend, August McLaughlin, on an episode of fabulous Girl Boner Radio! I loved speaking with her about the great joy pets bring to our lives, and about our upcoming book launches.

Click below to catch the entire interview!

Pets and Relationships + Book Release Fun! – August McLaughlin 

The post GIRL BONER: A CONSTANT DELIGHT! appeared first on Heidi Mastrogiovanni.

My huge thanks to Stephanie Michele for inviting me to be on her show. And huge thanks to our mutual friend, August McLaughlin, for putting us in touch with each other.

Stephanie is delightful, and it was an utter joy to spend time with her. Her crew is so gracious and welcoming, and they’re so great at what they do. I absolutely love Stephanie’s studio space; it is light and warm and cozy.

Stephanie’s show is meaningful and important, and I was honored to participate. Please enjoy my episode with her, and please check out the other episodes.  Enjoy!

Click HERE for the interview!

The post I ABSOLUTELY LOVED BEING ON “RELATABLE” WITH FABULOUS STEPHANIE MICHELE! appeared first on Heidi Mastrogiovanni.

So, umm…

Okay, so…

Umm…

See, umm… There seems to be this website somewhere called “glmux.com”…

I mean, I guess that’s their name, because I see it a lot in e-mail addresses…

Because a lot of different people with that mail server post a lot of comments on the blog posts on my website…

And the comments are really nice…

Very nice…very enthusiastic and very complimentary…

Here are just a few recent ones:

“Thanks for a really fantastic blog. It was very helpful. I am just so glad I found this.”

“This is an excellent site! A lot of useful information and handy tips, thank you =)”

“Wonderful website, how do you get all this information? I’ve read a couple of posts on your site and I love your writing style. Thanks a million, keep up the good work.”

“I browsed through this amazing site and there’s so much handy information; saved to my bookmarks.”

“I’m fascinated. I do not think I know anyone who understands just as much about the topic. You need to make a career of it, honestly; awesome blog.”

Seriously, those are all lovely, aren’t they? And I get messages like that just about every day from a wide range of people from glmux.com…

Of course, you don’t need to look for those comments on the blog posts in my website. Because they’re not there. Because you know how this story plays out…

When I saw the first of these lovely compliments, shortly after my website first launched, I was so thrilled! I either Skyped with or phoned my fabulous website designer, who is my forever web master/guru, and I probably said words to the effect of “They like me! They really like me!”

And there was a pause. In hindsight, I recognize it as a sad pause. And I heard my brilliant web master say, “Oh, honey, that’s spam.”

And I was, like, What?

“It’s spam.”

And I was, like, You mean they say that to everyone? And she was, like, Yeah, because it’s spam.

So now I go through the e-mail notifications I receive every day announcing that comments have been made on my blog posts, and I mark the ones that are spam as “Spam.”

And I do read them. Unless, of course, they’re in the Cyrillic alphabet. And there’s a little voice inside me that says, and probably always will say, “Gosh, maybe these are real people and not machines, and even though it’s their job to send out spam messages, maybe they did take a moment to read my blog post and maybe they really did find it charming or inspiring or funny…”

Well, I imagine I’ll get a lot of comments from glmux.com about this particular post, huh! Some may not convey great enthusiasm about what I’ve written this time, huh!

And some, I can promise you, will have absolutely atrocious grammar and syntax. Seriously, the ones I quoted above? I got so tired of typing “[sic],” I just went ahead and corrected them all; gmlux.com, you really should consider hiring a proofreader.

Because you know those silly spammers seriously have no sense of the significance of the superb semicolon…

And absolutely no appreciation of alliteration, apparently…

The post SPAM? A LOT! appeared first on Heidi Mastrogiovanni.

(This post is part of The Beauty of a Woman BlogFest VII! To read more entries, and potentially win a fun prize, visit the fest page on August’s McLaughlin’s site between today and 11pm PST March 9th.)

 

I saw a headline on some website, and I did a massive double-take. In hindsight, I wonder if maybe the writer meant for the words to be sarcastic. Maybe. I’ll never know for sure, because I immediately closed the link in audible disgust, and now I can’t find the article again.

The headline that inspired such instant and unforgiving outrage in me read:

Horrible Things No One Tells You About What Happens To Your Body As It Ages

Are you kidding? Are you fucking kidding me with that crap?

Okay, maybe the writer really was being sarcastic. Maybe the article went on to say that a premise that dreadful stuff happens to your body as it ages and it is absolutely essential to share that depressing information far and wide is really quite unpleasant and probably the basis for many a self-fulfilling prophecy among hapless readers.

But maybe not. And that’s why I feel compelled to go on record with a rejoinder. What I’m about to share is entirely from my point of view. I duly recognize that my truths are not now and will not in the future be true for everyone as they age. But maybe they’ll spark recognition and maybe they’ll inspire some optimism. Because, if we’re lucky enough, we’re all going to get to a certain age at some point. And I honestly think that should be embraced.

I turned 60 last year. I know far too many people who didn’t make it to that age, so I will be utterly damned if I’m not going to enjoy as many of the moments of my years as much as I possibly can.

Herewith my top three favorite things about aging. I’m not going to limit it to what happens to our bodies, because I really do believe that all the details in our lives are profoundly related.

You really do have license to not give a classic fuck what anyone else thinks.

And, seriously, you’ve earned it. Now, I don’t say this by way of giving anyone my blessing to be a self-serving, selfish shithead and to not give a fuck if other people think it’s not right to be a self-serving, selfish shithead. I’m directing this at people who behave with grace and kindness. I’m giving them license to not spend time with people who don’t appreciate their grace and kindness. I’m giving them license to avoid self-serving, selfish shitheads.

I just think that at a certain age (I’m not 100% sure what that age is, but I do know for sure that I’ve been there for several good years by now…) you’ve lived long enough to not have to worry if anyone else approves of you as long as you approve of yourself, as long as you can honestly say that you are living according to your values. I think the assurance that the people whose opinions matter will respect you is a valid one.

If you’re kind and caring, anyone who doesn’t appreciate you, who belittles or undermines you, shouldn’t be in your world. In fact, they should just go fuck themselves, don’t you think?

It really is possible to love your body more and more as it ages.

I have a few friends who have medical conditions that keep them in near-constant pain. My heart aches for them. This is a cruel and unfair twist of fate. It can happen at any age. I suppose the argument can be made that it’s more possible to have medical issues as you age. Maybe. But why focus on that unless you have to?

I want to enjoy being in my body for as long as I can. I want to feel comfortable in my skin until the day I die. This is a conscious and constant goal, and I do whatever I can to make it my ongoing reality. And it turns out that there’s a lot that I can do. I believe in taking positive action at any age, and I also believe that it’s never too late to start making your health and your mental and physical wellbeing a priority.

I don’t want to start every new year that a birthday brings assuming that I’m going to feel less energetic, less inspired, less comfortable, less cozy. I want to feel as fabulous as I possibly can. And I honestly can say that I’ve never felt better than I do now. That’s something I wish for everyone as they age.

Time is precious, and that’s a really liberating thing to know.

Heidi Mastrogiovanni.