My wife and I just finished binge watching Deadwood on Blu-Ray. The incredible dialogue is Shakespearian in nature due to David Milch and his brilliant writing along with the genius cast of actors who spoke his words.
One such actor is Geri Jewell, a past guest on Between the Lines. In honor of her character “Jewel” – here is the entire Between the Lines episode. You can’t help but fall in love with Geri when you meet her.
Enjoy,
Barry
EPISODE LISTINGS & TIMES ARE IN THE TAB AT THE TOP OF THE BLOG.
Last week I saw the film Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón and co-written by his son Jonás. The film stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as surviving astronauts from a damaged Space Shuttle.
Ihighly recommend it to all. I promise no spoilers here because I know many have not had a chance to see it, but even from the trailer you realize the concept is about humankind and does it have the ability to survive in the vastness of empty space?
Despite being set in space, the film deals mostly about the inner space of emotional change and resilience in the wake of the unimaginable happening. It examines the will to survive even in the face of what appears to be inevitable death.
Survival is the primal objective for all living things, yet during even our everyday struggles we cannot help but sometimes question our own ability to make it through another day. Everyday stresses are not as drastic as attempting to survive without gravity, but their weight can be more pressing on the human spirit.
But the human spirit is not only designed to survive, but thrive. It is one of the strongest forces we have within us, and on an individual level a good match for the force of gravity itself.
That was exemplified a few weeks ago when the Between the Lines episode, featuring actress, comedienne and motivational speaker Geri Jewell,made its debut.
A particular insight that Geri had was that she knew she had the talent to create happiness for others, but did not know how to attain it for herself.
Spiritually, she always believed that sometimes just a little window of hope and opportunity was all that was needed to make it another day.
Geri’s episode was encouraging to so many that I decided to post it here and on Youtube, because I know many people will benefit from hearing her story who didn’t get a chance to see it on TV.
Enjoy the episode and keep in mind that within us all we have the ability to survive even under the most difficult of situations and when we feel that deep within our soul, it does not stop there, but moves us even beyond.
EPISODE LISTINGS & TIMES ARE IN THE TAB AT THE TOP OF THE BLOG.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines perseverance as the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.
If there was a picture of perseverance it would be of my guest, this week on many of my stations, Geri Jewell.
As you too will learn about Geri, her sheer perseverance made her who she is.
Perseverance is also a theme I discuss often in the show because it is one of the human qualities that is of the utmost importance. Some of my favorite quotes of all time are about this topic and range from some of the most admirable people to grace our planet. From Winston Churchill to Abraham Lincoln and from Benjamin Franklin to Nelson Mandela, they all know that in almost all cases perseverance trumps everything when it comes to achievement and overall satisfaction. Just Google “perseverance quotes” and you will be overloaded with inspirational gems.
What makes this quality of such value to all is that without it being part of our human make-up we literally would not exist. It is in us at the deepest cellular level from the beginning of time. It is the quality that allowed us to hunt and gather even before we could make weapons or tools. In fact, persistence hunting was a technique where early humans followed their prey until the prey was exhausted but their human counterpart had the perseverance to continue and caught them while they slept.
But maybe because it is so deep within us, and not just at the surface, we too often give up before we draw on all its power. I remember feeling so down about the struggles it took to launch Between the Lines that I just wanted to throw in the towel. I could not find the perseverance within me that I knew was there but just would not manifest itself. If it was not for my wife, whose perseverance and faith was literally in arms reach, who knows?
Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
-Thomas Edison
Even if you are alone, and have to fight the daily good fight without someone in your corner, there is always a way to reach deep down and find that perseverance gene within. During the great depression many people felt so desperate and hopeless that they were sure they could not go on any longer. President Roosevelt was aware of this situation and knew he had to assure the nation that through our persistence we would overcome the situation. In one of his famous fireside chats he uttered these words:
When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
I often question why we sometimes have to get to the end of our rope before it kicks in. I want it to be easier. Who, after all, wants to struggle in the first place? Now, if I had that answer you’d be reading quotes about me. But I do know how fragile that perseverance gene is and how difficult it is to locate sometimes. However, as Winston Churchill so famously stated: “Never, never, never give in!”
EPISODE LISTINGS & TIMES ARE IN THE TAB AT THE TOP OF THE BLOG.
Barry Kibrick's Blog 