Let’s talk about free time. How much free time do you have? Or should I say, how much free time do you allow yourself? Is free time a myth?
(In the words of my girl Buffy Summers, “Well, you were myth-taken.”)
I’m an anxious-perfectionist-workaholic who loves their job but constantly feels *behind* on everything there is to do, and sometimes I have a hard time taking a day off without feeling guilty. Yes, I’m working on it…
Someone recently asked me what my hobbies were and I thought, “Ummm… I hang out with my dog, I like to work out, I drink too much coffee, and I love cooking and baking?” but kind of drew a blank thinking of anything else.
So here’s to more self-care and non-work hobbies in 2022! And please drop some ideas and/or suggestions in the comments, I’d love to hear them!
I don’t talk about him a lot, mainly because I don’t like the idea of making people feel bad for me, and I don’t thrive on the sympathy. Another reason is that others have tried to use it as a weapon against me; saying I’m “less than” for losing a parent at a young-ish age, it’s a “weakness”, I’m somehow “damaged”, or have “daddy issues”… when they have never experienced a loss like this.
But a good friend reminded me (you know who you are ❤) that people trust people who have been through real things. So maybe it’s time to share a bit more here on my platform.
I think a terrible disservice we can do to someone’s memory is make their loss about us. I think another is forgetting what they taught us and not sharing those lessons, which helps to keep their memory alive.
Experiencing a loss like this isn’t a weakness. Coming out on the other side is strength, and I think we should use that pain to help others who are going through it. Be a light in the darkness of grief.
Loss is hard. Pain is hard. But it can be helpful when shared.
This was our last picture taken together in 2013 before he passed away.
He’s the strongest person I’ve ever known. He was faced with insurmountable odds and faced them with more bravery than I’ve ever seen.
He was a great dad. I think I took that for granted. As I’ve gotten older, I understand him a lot more.
I’m grateful for everything he taught me – from comic book knowledge, our debates about Team Batman versus Team Superman (where we would always butt heads – we did that a LOT), for teaching me how to defend myself, how to kick ass and take names, and for giving me strong role models to look up to. From our nights of watching Buffy together to staying up late to make sure I made it home safely every night until I moved out… he was always there.
He taught me that girls and women could be strong and be superheroes, too… and do it better than the boys.
He was the biggest inspiration for my voiceover business when I rebranded as The Voiceover Superhero in January of 2018, when I moved from theatre/on-camera to doing VO full time and created my LLC. He was always supportive of my acting career, wanted me to succeed, and encouraged me on the days where it was REALLY hard.
What a gift.
Today would have been his 63rd birthday; and I’m honoring him by remembering the lessons he taught me, sharing this story, and hoping that this story can be helpful to someone else out there, too.
https://vosuperhero.com/wp-content/uploads/Logo-File.png00Bonniehttps://vosuperhero.com/wp-content/uploads/Logo-File.pngBonnie2021-08-15 16:21:072021-08-15 16:21:08who was your first superhero?
A photo I took on my visit to Kennedy Space Center in March 2019
… and what a giant leap it was.
I was lucky enough to hear stories about it first-hand from those who were there, both in person and watching it on television with people around the world.
Although I wasn’t there, getting to relive those memories with people who were is a memory I’ll always cherish and never forget.
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were names I knew very well when I was growing up. Many summers of my childhood consisted of pool parties like your average kid, with visits to JPL, conventions, Planetary Society meetings, and gatherings to watch Mars landings sprinkled in between.
52 years ago today, the impossible happened.
We learned more about science, our world, and the mysteries of the cosmos.
We learned that the impossible WAS actually possible.
https://vosuperhero.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_4517-1.jpg12971729Bonniehttps://vosuperhero.com/wp-content/uploads/Logo-File.pngBonnie2021-07-20 17:44:122021-07-20 17:45:16one small step for man…
And more. I’m a person. I’m more than just my job title. I’m a teacher, a member of my community and synagogue, a small business owner, coffee drinker, director, neighbor, voter, Leslie Knope-meets-Monica Geller type personality, someone who loves going on long night drives and trips to the beach, Star Wars and comic book fan, traveler (pre-pandemic), California girl at heart, an avid bruncher, a person who looks up at the stars in the night sky and contemplates life, pumpkin spice lifer, and that’s not all. So yeah, I may be a voice actor, but I’m so much more than just that. I’m more than the jobs I book, the list of my clients, the equipment in my studio, and the number of my followers on social media. I am uniquely me. And THAT is my superpower.
Hailing from Los Angeles, Bonnie has been acting on the stage, television, film, and a voice actor for over 20 years. Credits include Isabel in THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, Margaret in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, and Glory and Rhonda in ALMOST, MAINE. She also recently performed in COMING BACK FOR ME, the winner of Project Chrysalis 2.0 with Cary Playwrights. Voiceover clients include Amazon, Buick, NC State, Toyota, and K-Swiss. She has a Bachelors in Theatre Arts from CSU San Bernardino. When she’s not recording in the studio, she can be found hanging out with her dog Marcel, drinking too much coffee, and serving on the board at North Raleigh Arts and Creative Theatre. You should totally check out her website at vosuperhero.com
