Sidelines to Frontlines

Whew!  The last week and a half has been crazy in so many ways!  Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday of last week were our full dress and technical rehearsals for “The Music Man” and Wednesday night was our final rehearsal that doubled as a preview night for a small audience of friends and family.  Everything went really well and the entire cast and crew were excited about opening night on Thursday.

Thursday morning around 11am I received a call from our director, saying that the actress who was playing the role of “Mrs. Paroo” (one of the major roles in the show!) had just come from the doctor and was very sick with the flu and would not be able to perform.  She asked if I thought I might be able to learn her part and fill in…without going into all the details of that very stressful, yet extremely exciting afternoon, in the end, I was able to memorize all of the lines and songs, capture the Irish accent that was needed for the part, and perform the role…with just 6 hours of rehearsal!  I felt honored to be able to perform the part for all 6 shows over the weekend.  God was truly with me and enabled me to perform this role, of that, I have no doubt whatsoever!  His ability far exceeds mine every time!  It was so much fun and something I will never forget!

After spending the previous 8 straight days at the theatre, we were due for some much needed family time, and thanks to the President’s Day holiday, the boys were out of school and I didn’t have to work, so we were off to the zoo!  Using my runner’s app, I logged in over 3 miles of walking the paths and trails while we visited our favorite animal friends, and even after such a long week, I felt energized and enjoyed the day.  Our local zoo has a huge outdoor jungle gym, complete with wooden forts and a maze of rope nets to climb through.  In the past, I would have happily made use of the benches they’ve provided for weary parents, but not anymore!  I climbed through everything right alongside my boys, and although I have to admit that I was a bit scared of the nets, I jumped on out there and climbed through them anyway!  Before we left, we took a ride on the carousel, and for the first time since I was a child, I actually climbed up and rode on one of the animals myself, instead of just sitting on a bench watching the boys go around.

So, between moving from an ensemble role to the part of Mrs. Paroo over the weekend, and choosing to play and participate in activities with my kids instead of just watching them have fun without me, I feel like this weekend I’ve taken a huge leap from the sidelines to the frontlines.  These are things that I would have never dreamed of doing 157 pounds ago, and I’ve loved every minute of it and been so thankful for these experiences!



Riding the carousel at the zoo!  Not the most flattering picture, but the only one we had time to grab before we had to get off or pay for another ride!

(Just a reminder/disclosure…I am not a medical professional or certified trainer, so anything I write in this blog is not intended to be taken as advice, guidance, or recommendations.  It is simply a journal of my own personal experiences.  Thanks!)