Thoughts and Adventures of a Theatre Kid

It's been a crazy week.  So many things have happened!  I'm not going to talk about all of them here but I might talk more about one or two of the things in later blog posts. I finished the first week back at school with the kids and survived in mostly one piece.  It was definitely not an easy week "back at the ranch", so to speak.  By Friday I felt like I was dragging myself across the finish line into the weekend completely exhausted.  Even after a whole weekend I still felt like I was dragging when I started this week off. It's hard to tell the exact reason for this lagging, though if I listen to my gut I know the answer.  My gut is, and has been for a while now, telling me it's time to move on from my current job.  Does this scare me?  Yes.  Does it excite me?  Yes.  I think I'm ready for a change of venue.  I love the kids but ultimately need something more sustainable and less soul-sucking.  What will the new thing (or things) be/look like?

I've been asking myself a certain question for a while now because I'm constantly bothered by it. What is this mysterious question?  It is this:  Why do we constantly strive for perfection in how we present ourselves to the world?  Why do we wear a mask? This is what has been marinating in my thoughts, especially in the last day or so. Take Facebook for example.  It's essentially a highlight reel of our lives; the best of us that we want to present to the world.  This depiction  is only a small snapshot and an inaccurate one at that.  There are aspects of our lives we have omitted from the public view- why?  Is there something we have to hide from the rest of the world? I wonder what would happen if we were all more open and honest about the things that go on behind the scenes.  I wonder if we would strive less for perfectionism and embrace our imperfections and the things that make us human.  I wonder if it would relieve the pressure to perform and lessen the f

Have you ever taken the time to sit back and think about the word "Encouragement"? The definition of encouragement is "the action of giving someone support, confidence, and hope".  Broken down the word says "in courage of", essentially meaning that to give encouragement is to empower another person; endowing them with courage. I especially like how the word courage is in the word. Oftentimes we doubt ourselves and our abilities, lacking confidence to do the (new) thing or things that we have the skills and talents to do.  Sometimes this self-doubt bleeds into the things we've been doing for forever or for a little while. It's in these times we especially need people in our lives who are able to give us the encouragement we need.  It gives us strength to do the thing. I am an encourager.  It comes naturally to me.  When I am around other people and I can see someone who looks as though they may need a little boost to their day, I do it