For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Roles and the Rules for this project, the role of the confidant is the role that all can confide in.  The confidant can be trusted by all and is true to the project itself and all of its participants including the public onlookers.  Her primary role is to be a sounding board and support for the protagonist outside of the project – listening to any concerns, excitement, or confusion as it arises with each new challenge.  She will also be there for any concerns or questions that the wild cards, the writers and the referee may have.  She is bound to honesty and will answer any questions players may have about the protagonist in their process of guiding her monthly activities. If the other roles in the project have a dilemma they can call on the confidant for advice. She will share monthly conclusions to each chapter. Feel free to post your questions or suggestions to the confidant here.

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This month, Beth focused on her body, her health,and her muscle memory with added challenges to self-discipline, literal self-reflection and the physical and mental demands of an activity routine. I focused on listening and occasionally challenging and pushing the limits of Beth’s interpretation of her chapter and herself!

My experience of Beth’s journey as confidant and friend? It began with mild panic, evolved into a path with organic boundaries, and resolved in a fascinating creative exploration of “self” and “exercise” — of the mind and body. (I’ll never tire of seeing Beth engage in an idea or project – at first, she wraps her head around it and looks at all facets of it – then she dives in… usually with a great deal of optimism and spunk. And, once she’s in, she’s in, driving herself, pushing herself within the boundaries set out for her. She is filled with adrenaline and drive until she completely owns and defines the shape of that space, creating something unexpected out of it.)

This month, our normal hangouts (which used to involve hours of talking, drinking boxed wine and not necessarily following through on our ambitions to attend yoga class) shifted to include jogging in the mud, jumping rope in public, and exploring the broad range of activities that could stimulate the mind, creative soul and body. As observer and participant in Beth’s living chapter – I know involving the public in her performances was a unique challenge. I learned that pushing your limits is an extraordinary thing if you know when to stop. (Doing so publicly, even more so.) And, striving to be perfect by anyone’s definition other than your own is damaging to both body and soul! Well played, Beth. You listened to your body when pushed too far, created your own definition of health and balance, and when striving to meet new challenges, embraced them. Hope your muscles remember all this, as you approach your next chapter.

Visit the June Gallery for images and videos from the Body and Kinesthetic chapter.