Wednesday, April 13, 2011

A Heyokah Goodbye

Hi friends,

It has been a while!  Heyokah closed over a month ago, and so many things have changed since then.  Two members of our cast (Stephen and Kaleena) are in Europe, all of the colorful blocks have been dismantled, and the Manitou Art Theatre has lost one of its favorite family members, Millie Harrison.

As I try to grapple with the reality that the Marvelous Millie Harrison has left this earth, I can't help but be reminded of the Heyokah.  The Heyokah is supposed to help navigate the line between life and death, and to keep the world in balance.

The more I think about Heyokah, the more I believe that Millie was full of Heyokah spirit.  For example, Heyokahs acted in unexpected ways, and what is more unexpected than slapping someone when they're crying?  Something Millie apparently did very frequently.  Heyokah also came from the great thunderbird.  Millie's high school mascot was the Thunderbird (T-Bird for short), and regularly ended announcements with the phrase "have a Thunderiffic day!"  Thus, Millie also came from the Thunderbird.  Millie reminded people what was important in life.  When other people wore expensive dresses to the prom, Millie wore a dress made out of Diet Coke cans.  When other people made beautiful Valentines cards for their friends, Millie made one about a lobster attack.  When other people were saying mean things on the golf course, Millie complimented every player.

Now all of these connections may just be a product of my brain trying to make sense of how such a vibrant, beautiful person could leave this earth so soon, but I think that it is wonderful to think of Millie Harrison as a Heyokah, because she will always remind me to do the unexpected, to love everyone, and I know that when it's time for me to go, Millie will be there to help me cross the line.

And finally, in honor of Millie:

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