here we go again

It's been about two weeks since my return from Miami, and I have run through the gamut of emotion. There was the sadness of parting with the amazing people I met during the run of Miss Saigon. There was the happiness of being reunited with my friends in New York. There was the anger that resulted from a fall out with my subletters as a result of a breach of contract. There was the frustration that accompanies the return to the grueling grind of auditions. There was the excitement of being in a new environment. But the combination of all that does not even come close to the elation I'm feeling right at this very moment.

This past Friday, I was offered my second professional acting job. I am a principal cast member of two musical revues being produced this summer at the Herb Strauss Schoolhouse Theater in Sanibel, Florida. Same deal as before: salary, housing, transportation, and one hell of a fantastic time in the Sunshine State. I know that I'm a dedicated and professional worker who can expect a certain amount of success because of my work ethic, but still, I am in awe of my great fortune. I had hoped I might get another job by the end of the year, so to have received this offer less than two weeks after the end of my first job fills me with infinite gratitude.

My dad sent me an email that same day, suggesting I begin considering more secure and lucrative job opportunities. He assured that my time at AMDA and in New York would have not been in vain if I left the acting world and returned to Corporate America where I started. When I told him about my new acting job, he was congratulatory, but still suggested I get my head on straight and remember that I spent too much time on my bachelor's degree to let it go to waste.

His display of hypocrisy was upsetting at first. But then I took a deep breath and thought about things from his point of view. My parents had a plan for me, and they changed their lives to make sure it would happen. And I went along with it for as long as I could until I realized that I couldn't sacrifice my happiness for theirs. Because while I love my parents, I'm the one who has to live with my life choices, good and bad. I came to realize that money had little to do with my personal definition of success. For them, it was everything. But as far as I'm concerned, I have everything I need to survive: a little bit of cash to get my what I need, the love and support of my family and friends, and the guidance of a loving God. So all I have do to is find the thing that makes me happy, the thing that I can look back on at the end of my life and say, "Yeah, I had an incredible run."

So I'm learning to be patient with my parents' worries and fears. It is all out of love, after all. I believe this is what I'm meant to be doing, at least at this point in time, and soon, they'll come to understand this. Or at least accept it. I think part of it is because they only see this as fun and games and not necessarily as a job or career. What they don't see is the amount of work and research and preparation that goes into every acting job and the incredibly difficult skills that those jobs require. And what's difficult for them to comprehend is the direct connection between my college education and my choice of career. I would have never made it here if I didn't make it through all that. I see that, I know that, and I appreciate that.

For now, I'm enjoying the ride and soaking in the experience. I'm also simultaneously exploring new hobbies to cultivate my creative side in the hopes of finding an alternative career in case I should need one. I'm reading more than I have since college, I'm taking pictures everyday to contribute to Project 365, and I'm continuing to improve my video editing and web design skills. From my experience with Miss Saigon, I learned that I'm not so great at keeping the blog updated while I'm on a contract because I get busy with rehearsing, performing, and exploring the local area. But I managed to take a lot of pictures and get a lot of video footage. So this time around, I think I'm going to take a cue from my friend Annie and try a video log, or VLog, for this upcoming contract. Should be a fun change of pace from my seven-year text run.

So the journey continues! Looking forward to what's ahead!