My horoscope said that what happened this week could herald huge change in my life. I’ve taken stock. The only  unusual thing I’ve done is to audition – twice. The first time I felt like a complete fraud – one line in a movie. I was embarrassingly bad. Bad. Bad. Bad. Terrible even. Charged with doing an American accent, I called up an American mate here in Budapest and asked him to repeat my line. It didn’t work. And then today, on the train back from Bratislava, I was asked if I was from America. Shucks!

The second time (on the same day) I auditioned for a commercial. I was still reeling from the morning’s debacle and so trekked across town with little or no expectation. I was simply keeping an appointment. I figured I’d be in and out in 5 minutes and the trip would take me to  a part of Buda I’d yet to visit. It was worth a gamble.

I was in and out in 15 minutes. I read my part. And then they asked me to read for another part. When I left, I was laughing out loud at how ridiculous it all was and wondering why I simply hadn’t said no to the agencies in the first place. All I had to say was that I wasn’t available. But something in me wanted to see if I could do it. Something in me wanted to experience just one day of make-up and costume and lights, action, and whatever it is that I never got on radio. And somewhere in me, that ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’ attitude still breathes.

While having coffee in Vienna on Friday morning, my phone rang. I’d landed the commercial. My lines (note the plural) were emailed over and my pertinent details emailed back.  I’m not yet word-perfect (who writes these things?)  but tomorrow late afternoon it happens. And then on Monday morning, it happens again, at a different location.

I have no clue what to expect but I’ll fess up to being just a tad excited and for that I’m truly grateful. Sometimes it’s nice for something out of the ordinary to happen, something that reawakens our sense of wonder and reminds us that life is truly what you make of it. Open those doors. Say yes to something you’d normally never dream of doing.  Take a chance and see where it lands you. Life is too short to be boring.