Time Off
You have to give yourself time off and I constantly forget that. I burned myself out. Yesterday was my day off and I wanted to get work done, only I couldn’t because I was completely burned out. I didn’t have it in me. By the end of the day, I got a sudden wind of energy and was able to work a little on my book about the life of nonunion musical theatre performers. I was typing up an interview I did and found myself getting a message I needed to hear. In response to a question (the question itself is not important), my interviewie went off subject and started talking about how “Everyone should have a life. They should hang out with friends and family. Make time for it.” As I typed up this response, I automatically applied it to myself. Dude, I don’t have a life outside of theatre in this cast. It all depends on the cast and on the demands of the job. I do things on my off time, but it’s mostly work - related. Social stuff? No, I am not as social as I would like to be, but I don’t really mesh with anyone in this cast. There are a couple people I would be interested in spending time with, however, these individuals have not shown the interest. On top of that, going out requires me to use my feet and spend money, which I don’t have, … I mean, I have my feet, but I’m still healing from my injury so it’s good for me to sit on my time off. I’ve been in a cast where we went out and did fun things together. It all happened naturally, I had a life, and I had a blast. I was still getting work done and was living in the perfect balance. Now, I just don’t have that going on with my cast. It is always a gamble. If I am “a loner,” I’m not going to sit on my butt and watch tv all day. No, I get work done. I might as well take advantage of the situation and I DO. It’s easy to say “have a life,” but in this field, the way you live your life all depends on the current cast and setting you are living in. Right now, it is not ideal for me, but who knows how things will work out in the future. If anything, I always put my job first (rest, relaxation, focus, dedication, etc.), then I figure out what works best for me to not lose try of my purpose. Am I making any sense?
