Technically she wasn’t visiting me, she was visiting New York City.  I understand that.  Before I moved to this town I did the same thing.  She rode the bus with a young friend from the Mary Baldwin University Theater Department just to see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.  They were in town less than 24 hours and went to some favorite food spots and midtown attractions before heading home.  They had a good time.

They spent a few minutes with Pamela and I and it was good to see her and nice to meet her friend (anonymous for now, as I don’t want to include her in my blog without her permission).  Juliana (Toni) Thinnes is my brother’s daughter.  She hasn’t decided exactly what to do with her future and that’s not a problem as she’s still a senior in college – she has time.  She’s considering going into theater as a career and I know she’s talented (she directed one of my plays and I was thrilled to see it).

What she needs to understand, regardless of her talent, is there are other factors in succeeding in any career.  Unfortunately one of them is chance, being in the right place at the right time, what some describe as luck.  Fortunately I have always defined luck as the meeting place of preparation and opportunity.  Prepare thoroughly, work hard and fight to find that opportunity.

And come back to New York often, it is the place to be!

As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes and on Twitter @walterthinnes

TOMORROW: Plays at Players Theatre