"What's there to lose!"
A silhouette of a female's face on a poster invited the residents to interact with a famous actor. The names of the films she had acted in were mentioned. It teased the residents to guess her name.
Intrigued, I decided to attend.
The actor left me inspired.
The actor, Ms. Anjula Bedi, was vivacious and charming. And unusually candid. She had the large audience gasp when she shared her age — 76. She looked at least twenty years younger.
Though she'd been associated with theatre her entire life, a chance to act in a film came her way only at age 54. Without an audition. Through a reference to someone who watched her play.
The film producer didn't provide her any clue about her role, giving her no more than five minutes to sign the contract.
Later she learned this was a standard practice used for actors who played minor roles, and she chuckled.
She made light of roles she had played, impressive though they were.
What left me truly inspired was her candid confession about being rejected in every audition.
"Over my lifetime, I've given hundreds of auditions to get a role in films, but didn't bag a single one," she laughed. "Yet, I never miss a chance to audition. What's there to lose!"
Last week it struck me that my 11-year Labrador, Marley, has a similar attitude.
The moment he spots me reaching for my shoes, or a jacket, or, even my mask, he's alert, often stepping off his bed, wagging his tail in anticipation of a 'walk', or a chance to play with the ball.
He rarely gets his wish fulfilled and ends up being disappointed.
Yet, he chooses to focus on that one instance he would succeed.
And he does manage to squeeze in an extra walk or a game.
His understanding is simple — "Trying gets me a walk." Or to paraphrase Ms. Bedi,
"What's there to lose!"
"A positive attitude is a state of mind that allows you to envision and expect good things," states a blog on the TRVST website, an organization working on collective positive change.
A dogged focus on expecting good things. Wow!