Just a short blog today, especially in the mad dash toward the Christmas holidays and the wrapping up of our fall/winter shows, competitions, and other commitments that make up the lot of the Busy Theatre Troupe Sponsor Teacher. I’ve been a little quiet in terms of my presence on the EdTA site of late, mainly due to several things piling up all at once, but also because on Wednesday 3rd December, on the way home from after school practice, I was cut off by an irate driver whilst I was riding my motorcycle.
Man on bike versus man in four door sedan: Man on bike lost.
It wasn’t all that terrible an accident. I braked really hard, fell, bike landed on my leg and I skidded 7 feet, causing pretty horrendous road rash on my elbow, knee and hand (one of each, natch), plus a broken fibula and a mashed ankle. Some surgery, and some time off work.
Timing was the real devil in this story.
December 3rd was my son Malachi’s second birthday. I was on my way home to finish celebrating his birthday (having started with our cast in rehearsal to have cake and sing him happy birthday, which was cute). Didn’t make it. But, on the positive side, he’s two, so he had no real idea and got to open his presents with me in the hospital. What was worse was that my wife’s birthday was on the 7th, and after invasive ankle surgery and massive amounts of morphine and Percocet, I was about as ready for her birthday as an 8 year old is ready for marriage.
And it was the night before our school productions of four one act plays.
Events like this really have a habit of testing all sorts of things, as well as showing up particular strengths or weaknesses of any given area of your life. What a blessing that my students were able to pull off all four one acts over both nights without me, with only a volunteer teacher friend to literally just supervise them: and, from all reports, my students did a good job, rose to the challenge, acted with maturity on and off-stage, and to top it off, the audience were entertained thoroughly. We even turned a modest profit overall! Result!
But here’s the crux: it showed up some areas where I haven’t been as diligent. I hadn’t yet planned much for my wife’s birthday. I had an idea, but I was going to take care of details on Saturday, after the shows. I could’ve planned a little better so that, even though I am incapacitated, my wife could be made to feel special on her birthday. It turned out to be as good a day as it could be, but it certainly could have been better.
So the lesson of today’s blog is to be mindful of what’s truly important. We live in a culture where achievement sometimes looks like it trumps relationship, and as a theatre troupe director and theatre teacher, it’s very tempting for me personally to get sucked into this world of making these high school shows everything, the only thing that matters. "My program has to be Broadway quality!"
Sure, high school theatre matters. But so do your relationships. As we shuffle or sprint to the end of the calendar year and take a well-deserved break (mine's longer than yours right now, but don't worry, I'm in agonizing pain, so you win) take stock of where your time is being spent. Your students will benefit hugely from you taking time to foster and strengthen your personal relationships, whether that’s a spouse, your children, partner, mom, dad, roommate, BFF, whoever. It’ll make you more complete and give you perspective. High school theatre is a vital and exciting, dynamic powerhouse of future and present potential, and I am so grateful for my job. But I know that I am even more grateful for my wife, my children, and my friends.
And the final lesson of the day, is that when people tell you the night before opening night to "Break a leg!", you really shouldn't take them literally.
Merry Christmas!