“We enjoy her exuberance, Mrs. Skauge. We only wish she would save some for recess.”
Yup, that was a comment from my report card at school. Oh I was a talker AND I had to keep moving. No, I was never diagnosed but can you guess what kind of student I was? I still remember my grade six teacher designed a beautiful tree in the back of his classroom with detachable leaves, each with an idea on the back. He told me that the tree was for me so when I finished my work (quickly of course) I had something to do. I hope you are laughing by now. Yes, I was hyper, tightly wound, sensitive…I am sure you get the picture!
I used to get headaches from my intense playtimes, never took afternoon naps and was a bed wetter. Ah childhood, ain’t it pretty? My mom put me in the rocking chair beside her and sewed well into the night as I chattered or sang to her. I was always singing. It took a long time to exhaust me. Summer came and I was in as many camps as my parents could afford!
It’s never a surprise to anybody that I chose theatre as a career. Well, it chose me, actually! I lasted about a month in the education faculty at university. Lord help me! The pacing was too slow for me. Where could I put all that energy? The U of C Theatre department offered tons of extra curricular opportunities and varied courses. While I was a student I worked full days in a Theatre for Young Audiences production and sang in a rock band at the same time! Even then, I wanted more of something, but what? It wasn’t until I designed a 500 level course on storytelling that it came clear to me. I found a strange balance in teaching workshops and creating original work. The multi-tasking life suited me, it still does!
As I write today, I am planning to be one of four facilitators in a workshop for September called “Let your Body Speak” (more on that later) and figuring out how I can dove tail my volunteerism with my freelance work. I have committed to helping a little fellow read once a week and want to start a community kitchen.
Finding purpose in what I do and making it meaningful is key to my own personal happiness. I hate wasting time and need to know that my actions are helping in some way. I really want to change the world with a story!
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