Ah… having the opportunity to speak on the phone with none other than McDreamy himself, actor Patrick Dempsey.

No, I didn’t. But I am so very happy that my blogging friend, Stephanie at Adventures in Babywearing, did. They talked about the new fragrance that Patrick developed with Avon… it’s called Unscripted, and for a very good reason. Patrick wanted a connection with a fragrance that defines living life on your own terms, developing your own passions, writing your life’s script and creating your memories. Unscripted. Doing what you love and loving what you do.

And although I did not speak with Patrick myself, Stephanie was so kind as to use a question that I suggested… this is it: Possibly your most important “role” has been helping your own Mom through cancer. Your fragrance Unscripted is about creating memories. Can you give us one wonderful memory that your Mom created for you as a child. A memory that you’ll never forget? And Patrick answered that he remembers wonderful memories of cross country skiing with his Mom in his home state of Maine… through the woods, into town, and back home again.

This got me thinking of all the perfectly Unscripted moments that I spent with my own children while skiing in Maine. We used to pile the kids in our car on a Friday afternoon and make the 6-hour drive from Rhode Island to Rangeley, Maine, passing right through Patrick’s hometown of Lewiston, Maine. We would hit the slopes before anyone else the first thing in the morning. There is nothing quite like sitting with your child… and then teenager… on a chair lift, the wind whipping through your clothing and on what part of your face it could capture. Silence is just not an option. We talked about everything. We talked “girl” things with the boys and “boy” things with the girls. We talked about school and friends and books and philosophies. We laughed. We shared. And let’s talk T-bars… where both riders to the top of the mountain rely upon each other to reach the summit. More laughter. More sharing. Togetherness. At its finest. When people ask me how it is that I’m so close to my children, I always answer, “skiing.” It is the reliance and trust and happiness that comes from those perfectly Unscripted moments. Moments where a passion is shared. Where choices are made. This trail. Or that one. You go first… I’ll follow. And soon it’s your child who is forging the path. And you follow. You watch. You swell with pride and joy at choices and skill and determination and courage and passion and trust in self.

Ah… I do truly enjoy Patrick Dempsey as an actor. Now I see him as more.

Unscripted. I wonder if Patrick ever imagined his reach could be so significant.