Teaser: Columnbina - Insights

Prologue

Who is Columnbina?

I’m not much of a theatre person; Commedia dell’Arte however, is a kind of art that suits my temper. According to Wikipedia this is a form of improvisational theatre that started in Italy in the 16th century, using general plotlines around all too human issues like old age, love, jealousy and adultery, but tweaking them into satire or farce whenever local scandals or regional tastes would give additional fire to the punch lines.

Characters were easily identifiable by clothing, make-up, posture and gesture. There were the diva, the rich man, the servants, the foolish, the lover, … and one of them was Columbina. She is a servant of the diva, often drives the story and is usually depicted as untamed, smart and crafty. She is the female counterpart of the Harlequin – the clown. She is engaging with the audience and hence is having a role between the lines of the plot.

If I were to chose one of all the characters: I would want to be Columbina! A networker, an enabler of people and situations, yet down to earth with a genuine interest in what makes people tick.

I like the Commedia dell’Arte because its plotlines are crisp, and to the point, and that is why I like columns. A personal view of a particular part of the world condensed in about 600 words, witty and at times a bit sarcastic, but always quickly plotted to catch the Zeitgeist, to document changes, and to show how people live. Columns connect people; one doesn’t feel alone when somebody else even writes about it: 'See? Told you so…! Exactly what I thought!'

Since 2007, I’m running my website now, and since then I wrote a column once in a while with increasing frequency. Reading back through them it is amazing how much they reflect my life and what happened around me. I have written miles of other articles – my husband calls it writer’s diarrhoea – and they only tell a fraction of what these little bits of writing reveal.

So here’s to share with you my newly gained wisdom: My collection of little insights into myself, human nature in general, how to rule the world, save it, and how to know everything better anyway.

Columnbina's Tasks, Tussles and Temptations

As opposed to the Columbina of the 16th century the modern day Columnbina is usually married and/or has kids plus a day job. Thus instead of being a servant to one diva she has two divas to serve: The family and the job.

She has to juggle through the days using every skill imaginable: creativity, abstract thinking, managerial, and so called soft skills – what basically means ‘keeping everything together and everybody happy’.

Deep inside she may be a shy person, an accountant’s personality or a chaotic madwoman: Nobody cares whether the task suits her abilities, the nitty-gritty bits always fall into her lap anyway.

No wonders that once in a while she snaps. She might take some time off for bitching, or spending, or ranting. But at the end of the day she always comes out of it with a smile, looking gorgeous and the drive to go on with it! Well, almost always …

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Author: Rika