Comments on: Pity Party

By: Portland Playback Theatre Company » Blog Archive » Touching story from a Playback ‘regular’

Thu, 13 May 2010 03:15:04 +0000

[...] She told a touching and hopeful story about learning to live, and appreciate, life despite chronic illness. She touchingly recounts her struggles and Playback’s role in reconciling them in her blog. [...]

By: Gracie Cleaves from Playback Theatre

Gracie Cleaves from Playback Theatre — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:18:06 +0000

Your story touched us all. If we actors at Playback Theatre want anything out of our performances, it is to honor the brave tellers of their always-perfect stories. Sometimes funny, sometimes painful and almost always awe inspiring, the audience experience pulls us from our traditional acting and improvisational training onto a different level of stage – your stage. Lunden, we love your stories and we treasure your loyalty to the medium of playback theatre. Keep coming. Bring others.

By: Jason

Jason — Sat, 08 May 2010 12:42:59 +0000

As our distance is so far from when I once slept on your balcony, it is a wonderful opportunity to find out another piece of your life. See you in 5 weeks!

By: Kate

Kate — Mon, 03 May 2010 20:58:35 +0000

Absolutely beautiful. I’d love to go to something like that. I used to love theatre before I got sick. I didnt know there was community theatre in Portland.

By: alice james

alice james — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:50:18 +0000

Hey–they told me I had CFS too for 5 years and then…

Did you read my Nowish memoir? It is on amazon. And I am now worsish. Have also Lambert eaton MG plus stiff persons (plus residual severe cancer damage.
You drive! Be sooo thankful. When that goes….

trouble now with respiration, swallowing, pupils, bladder and bowel loss
and to look forward to: increasing dementia!. The last year has been a nightmare…

I thought you were coming over…so was waiting…. a bit. Happy about your canary

love
alice
ps sometimes after many years, CFS seems to calm down for some people?

By: DeAnna Satre

DeAnna Satre — Mon, 03 May 2010 16:55:48 +0000

You may feel you couldn’t convey the heart and soul of the Playback, but I was crying as I read it. The best part of an event like this is leaving it, if not coming to it, knowing you are *also* blessed. That in itself is a large part of healing–rising up out of self-pity cleansed and clear seeing.

I know some of my tears were for myself, feeling a kinship with you in people’s not understanding the cause and consequences of your illness, as I have had similar feelings about my PTSD. That’s something that soldiers and other people who have suffered an appreciable trama suffer from; my trauma wasn’t sufficient to *deserve* to have PTSD. I get from detractors: what is it anyway and why are you depressed? And the loudest voice is my own. So I thank you for sharing this story. A part of telling one’s story is recognizing that it deserves to be told, and there’s healing in the telling.

By: Lucie Scholz

Lucie Scholz — Mon, 03 May 2010 13:54:40 +0000

So grateful you shared this. Although I love to write, I sometimes forget how therapeutic it is and so my story gets lost in the process of busy life. Thank you for reminding me of this. I can relate to so much of your learning and evolution around “invisible” illness and find your ability to share it very brave and full of grace.

Great writing indeed. I very much look forward to working and learning with you next year.

Blessings,

Lucie

By: MarkSpizer

MarkSpizer — Mon, 03 May 2010 13:23:50 +0000

great post as usual!

By: Sue Renaud

Sue Renaud — Mon, 03 May 2010 11:56:54 +0000

Thanks for sharing this with me, Lunden. It was very moving. We all do have a tendency to get on the pity pot and understandably so; it’s just that we can’t stay on it for too long. Things could be worse. We could be one of those MCS people who are sleeping in tents or in their cars and I am forever grateful that, at this time, I have a roof over my head.

Great writing. I love reading everything you write.

Hugs,
Sue