The Reluctant Adventurer

Hi my dear friend,

My daughters have been 
asking me to take them to 
a casting agency.

For a year, I said no. 
I had enough on my plate. 
And I wasn't sure what it would do 
to their self-confidence.

But a year is 
a long time to say no. 
So finally I gave in. 

Fine. Let's do it. 
Just let me find the right one 
to take you to it.

And what do you know - 
there was one
a walking distance from their school, 
with open days coming up 
the following week.

So I filled out the forms. 
And my sister joined in… 
just for the joy of it.

They had their photos taken. 
They posed. They glowed.

But then, 
when it was time to leave, 
all three of them turned to me 
and said: 

You should do it too.

No thank you, I replied. 
It doesn't appeal to me.

Except that was the moment 
my brain, unhelpfully, decided to chime in.
Reminding me that every January, 
I choose a word for the year.

And this year's word was, 
of all things… 
Adventure.

Oh, crap.

I have to do it, don’t I?
I reluctantly thought.

And so, 
with a long sigh, 
I filled out the forms for myself, 
got my measurements taken, 
and then I just stood there - 

feeling slightly ridiculous… 
and very far from my 
natural habitat.

Which, I suppose, 
is where adventures 
often take us.

But soon it was over. 
I survived.

And I was glad I did it… 
That I did something small,
yet… uncomfortable. 

Only back then 
I didn’t yet know, 
that just a few days later 
I would get a call…

to audition for a role 
in a nation-wide 
commercial.

Which I did. 
With a long sigh again. 
And got it.

All because of a stubborn word 
this reluctant adventurer 
picked in January.

With love,
Elina Janevica

Artwork / Edgars Vinters, “Riverbank” (fragment), 20th century / personal collection