Friday, May 27th
I can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday night than camping out at Chad’s house.
I had dinner tonight with four extraordinary men, and one adorable baby. I know, sounds like a Ted Danson movie, but it really was fabulous. Our conversation went round and round, and it felt like I have been part of this little group all along. I adore all of them. I often adore the people I meet along the way. I am friends with a ton of pretty stellar people, so, naturally, it makes sense that their friends also tend to be stellar people.
How do I meet such amazing individuals? And, why do they want to be part of my life? You have to be open, I suppose. I think open is definitely one way to describe me. I can think of many other more suitable words, but that would be getting off track.
I am always inspired after spending time with Chad...inspired and exhausted thinking about all of the things I know I am capable of accomplishing.
I feel like I could change Saginaw. Let me rephrase that: I feel like I have the energy, ideas, and could find the wherewithal to lead the team that would ultimately start the ball rolling towards a viable future for Saginaw. It makes me tired to think about it, and also extremely excited, because I know how much work it will take to get and keep things moving forward.
I feel like I could eventually be president of the national organization American Alliance for Theatre and Education. I know what direction I would take the conference, and the organization as a whole.
I feel like I could make connections and take SASA Theatre to a level it has never seen before. I have come to enjoy teaching a great deal.
I feel like I could start my own performing arts center.
I feel like I could audition and make it into a reputable Masters program, maybe even one overseas.
I feel like health, wellness, and motivation could become more than just a lifestyle, but an actual career path.
How do you know which dream to follow? Becoming a better teacher is where I chose to focus my energy this year, and I am so pleased to see the result. I am happy. I am never happy for long just plugging into one thing, though. However, it seems to work well to be able to focus your energy into one area. Teaching theatre is so broad. There are so many elements involved. Simply establishing, organizing, and maintaining spaces for costumes, props, lumber, tools, sound equipment, etc. is a daunting and ongoing task in and of itself, and makes up roughly 5% of my job.
Recently, my social life has become a priority. I am surprised to see what direction that has taken me so quickly. I am happy to say things are moving along nicely. However, it takes up some time I could be spending on the aforementioned dreams. Now that I am sitting here thinking about all of the things I want to do, I can’t help but wonder if the social life thing is really all that important. Was it just a phase and now it’s time to get back to work? Is there a way to balance both? Where does family time fit in with all of this? Seems what I am really after is some semblance of balance. But I want to see, and do, and know everything!
Every time I go to Lansing, or Grand Rapids, or Detroit, I feel called to take action in my own community and start making things happen. Every time I see a great performance, or begin brainstorming with the performing arts teachers, I feel inspired to work collaboratively and make things happen for my students and my school. Every time I workshop a monologue, or read a great script with an abstruse and/or esoteric character, I feel that pull (that seems to come from somewhere within my bones) to sink my teeth into that role and act again. Every time I am driving home from an amazing weekend with new or old friends, I am reminded how important it is to take breaks, invest in others, and enjoy those moments. Every time I am with my family I am reminded how much I love them, and how important they really are to me. I hate that my family just gets my leftover time and energy sometimes. They deserve more. Every time I go to church I am reminded what it’s really all about, and it makes me want to get more involved with a small group, or volunteering with the youth, or to consider the mission field, or work on a couple of service projects.
No matter where I happen to be, I always want to go all in. You can’t go all in on one thing...it’s impossible. If you tell me something is impossible, though, I will go to extreme lengths to show myself the fallacy of the statement.
Go big or go home, right? Or is there something in between that is just as divine?
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