Nora

The passing of icon Nora Ephron hit me hard. I find myself crying intermittently after hearing the news. The same happened with Michael Jackson, and a couple of others. In the artist community some deaths can seem like a sonic boom that leaves a gaping hole in the universe. I’m also really emotional about death by cancer. We didn’t know Nora was ill, so there was no preparing for the inevitable.

One of my first thoughts was, “now what?” Until I remembered…
Kristin Wiig, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling, Ellen DeGeneres, Melissa McCarthy, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho, Samantha Bee, Whitney Cummings, Janeane Garofalo, Anjelah Johnson, Ellie Kemper, Kathy Griffin, Sarah Silverman, Natasha Leggero, Kathleen Madigan, Kristen Schaal…

You get the picture. The lives of pioneers always spawn offspring, and we are fortunate the mini-Nora’s have multiplied a hundred-fold from just 24 years ago When Harry Met Sally. Let’s remember first and foremost Nora was an extraordinary writer with the ability to hone in on truth and spin it into the best humor. She was brilliant, concise, and no-nonsense. Meryl Streep said Nora’s friends went to Nora for opinions on everything from healthcare to cooking. She knew stuff. She was engaged, compassionate, and made the kind of films and wrote the kind of books you can wear out through the years. They never grow old, and neither will she.

Enough. I’m crying again.

The best way to continue is to leave you with Nora’s words. Personally, I have always been a trouble-maker, and I think her passing should motivate us to kick it up a thousand notches.

“Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women.” Nora Ephron-1996 Wellesley Commencement


Recommend reading the entire address here: http://new.wellesley.edu/events/commencementarchives/1996commencement


RIP Nora
xo