Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Mentoring & Green Beans


 Marcel Marceau Mime French Artist Stage Theater
Marcel Marceau, French Mime
http://content.time.com

Miming Can-Do
Snapping Beans

Once upon a time (!) a long time ago, slouched down in a darkened college theatre, I was watching rehearsal of a spot-lit scene, waiting for my turn to come up.

The "Our Town" set was minimalist, with lots of chitchat, the actors miming, and audience hopefully imagining the activity. 

Miming?!! You bet. My mother was a just a riotous storyteller, miming the different parts, so I was all prepared to be jollified.

Two women, in the current scene, were sitting side by side  chatting away and snapping green beans. 

Except... they'd never snapped a bean in their lives. Had grown up with frozen ones, or canned.

I was deliquescing, having a Beam-me-up-Scotty moment, when the Director called for a snap bean teacher, from the sea of vacant looks among the troupe.

Green beans, eh?... Remembering, being by my mama and grandmama, with just-picked bush beans from the garden... A time before old folks disappeared into nursing homes, vacantly watching "soaps."

"Come on!" the Director shouted into the unlit theater. "Somebody's gotta know."

I slid like lasagna out of my seat, put a hand on the stage and vaulted up. Nudged a girl sideways with my hip, and explained what a bean looks like; how you snap off both ends; break each bean into bite-sized pieces; drop it into the bowl in your lap.

Fresh Green Beans  
publicdomainpictures.net

I pantomimed the motions, an early glimpse into food as virtual reality... junk, frozen entree's, GMO's, and in flooded Houston, probably MRE's.

Do I think America has gone terminally fat and stoopid? No! Only in low moments. I suspect lots of us will want to learn, those not sulking in multi-generational remove.

But, calling all mentors, we've got a ways to go, pragmatic hands-on to learn.

Man and Child Walking Near Bushes during Daytime 
https://www.pexels.com

Wayfar 
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