Cloudy With a Chance of Rainbows

The weather man had called for rain, but as I stretched on the start line, I found myself shedding clothing. The sun was now peaking through the clouds, and I didn’t want to overheat during the race. I suppose I forgot about the dark, gray rain clouds looming overhead, threatening to dump at anytime. Just what I had wished for on the day of TVRAA, the first qualifying round in the high school cross country season. That was written with sarcasm.

             As soon as the race began, I knew I should have stretched more. My legs felt a little stiff, and it created a resistance very similar to when one runs through water. But I picked up my pace, and I eventually warmed up. I caught up to the first pack, which is excluding the leader prancing hundreds of meters ahead of everyone else. The pack consisted of a few girls whom I’ve met and competed against over the years- but we’re all friends regardless of the competition. I’m not quite sure when or how it happened, but I was suddenly running alone in second place.

            I find a race becomes very lonely when running alone. Don’t get me wrong, I was both happy and grateful that I was in second place. But I found myself worrying about a girl catching me and running me down, so I subconsciously picked up the pace. I wasn’t the happiest camper, because I was soaked, and I was freezing. I swear, at one point I even felt little chunks of ice falling from the sky.

            As I was heading for the final loop, I thought for sure that the girl in third place was right on my heels. I know that I don’t really have a kick at the end of a race, so I prepared myself to see her fly by me. Then I thought about it. It’s not who has the better kick at the end- it’s who wants it more. Those are familiar words of wisdom that my father has shared with me before races on many occasions. I silently thanked him as I sped through the finish line and claimed my blue ribbon.

            And of course, my day is never really complete without bolting to a rehearsal of some sort. I jumped in the warm car and raced to beat traffic so I could make it to my school’s gala rehearsal on time. I shivered as I learned that it not only rained during the race, but I heard that there was also hail, sleet and snow. I changed into warm clothes as soon as I reached the school, and my teachers kindly gave me some time to catch my breath. However, I very shortly found myself in the midst of a hectic and stressful dress rehearsal. A gala is simply a name for a show with many numbers of song and dance showcasing talent. My high school has a highly developed performing arts program, and we never shy away from an opportunity to show the city what we’ve got. As excited as I was for the gala however, I wanted to be anywhere but a gala dress rehearsal. There are usually technical issues that have to be ironed out, costume and prop pieces that are suddenly introduced, and generally a lot of waiting around for your cue to enter the stage. I could feel my energy draining as time dragged on. And as exhausted as I was after rehearsal had finished, what did I do of course? I went to another rehearsal.

            In the end, the gala turned out really well, and I had a tremendous amount of fun. As soon as the audience is there, I find I feed off of their energy and my own performance level increases. Here is a clip of a song performed that night, featuring myself and a couple of my friends. It’s a song from Shrek the Musical, sung by Princess Fiona as she grows up dreaming of her knight in shining armor.

            When I’m feeling stiff during a race, drained during a dress rehearsal, or just overall miserable, I need to learn to remind myself of what I’m working hard for. I need to promise myself that a new day is just around the corner, and that everything will be okay in the end. Because no matter if it’s raining outside, when the sun comes out there’s always the chance of a rainbow colouring your sky.

The Mosquito and the Bee

            There are days when I’m only home to eat and sleep. Literally. My schedule can become too hectic, so demanding, that I find there’s hardly anytime for me to breathe. You may be reading this thinking, why doesn’t she just back off and take a break; cut down her amount of activities? Here’s the thing: I thrive on being busy.

            In the first post, I described the numerous activities I’ve tried. Baseball, ballet, you name it. Over the years, I’ve narrowed it down to two activities: acting and running, running and acting. It just so happens that I love two of the most active hobbies. I never stop learning when it comes to juggling the two.

            Take this week for example. MONDAY was a holiday, but I spent a large portion of it at a rehearsal for Dracula, a show going up on Halloween weekend. TUESDAY I went to school, went to cross country practice, and then jetted over to another Dracula rehearsal. WEDNESDAY I went to school, went to cross country practice, and then attended a London Running Distance Club workout. THURSDAY I went to my first couple classes, I was then excused early from school for a cross country meet, and then I attended another Dracula rehearsal until late than night. FRIDAY I had a Follies rehearsal for the majority of the night, after school that day. SATURDAY was spent at a morning LRDC running workout, prepping for an audition that afternoon, went to the audition and then at a Dracula rehearsal that night. And today I go to a Follies rehearsal this afternoon. On top of all this I run everyday but Friday, I do core strengthening exercises daily (or should be!), I have to study for an upcoming calculus test, complete all homework assignments, and filling out applications/writing essays for scholarships. Oh yeah, I also have a blog!

            But I loved this week. I feel bad always asking my parents to chauffeur me around, but running from one place to the next across town is almost thrilling; never knowing if you’ll make it on time. It’s like completing a homework assignment, but not handing it in until the last possible moment just for kicks. It’s my form of living life on the edge.

            Juggling my crazy schedule is hard. My calendar is absolutely crammed with scribbles of activities, and places I have to be. But I can’t imagine a life without it; I think it’d be kind of boring! I couldn’t possibly choose between acting and running. Running is a lifestyle; a way for me to be in the best shape of my life, as well as taking an hour or so for myself as I go for a relaxing run around the city. Being on stage has always been a passion of mine, and one I’ll never stop loving. Diving into a role and becoming someone else is like shedding all the worries and stress you may have accumulated that day and filing them away, momentarily of course. And I often have fun doing so, too!

            As long as I ensure my health is 100%, and I’m involved with things that only help me be the best person I can be and excel at what I love, I really don’t mind being busy- I just have to find the time to blog. 

            "It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy. The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted." - Mary O’Conner   

          

Mr. Optimistic

My jaw hit the floor. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was just a coincidence that those particular words came out of his mouth in that particular order.

            “I’m joining cross country.” My brother announced. I was shocked- happy and thrilled that he’d be running on his school’s team- but shocked none the less.

            He was the happy-go-lucky kind of kid running with the back if the pack in every race. He’s athletic- he’s on sports teams such as baseball and soccer- however running had never been a keen interest for him. He’d run and walk, enjoying the view as he leisurely made his way to the finish.

            I can remember a specific incident back in elementary school involving my brother and cross country that still cracks me up. We had both finished our races, which were both around 1.5-2.0 km, and I was with my parents as he made his way over to us.

            “I was trampled.” He whined. My brother (no offense) has the tendency to exaggerate sometimes, so the three of us told him just that. He made a comment about no one listening to him as he quickly turned and began to walk away. Then we noticed the dusty footprints lining the back of his shirt, and quickly called him over to apologize.

            In fifth grade, he decided to discontinue his running career and focus on other sports he adored. So we threw him a “retirement” party to congratulate him on his efforts over the past three years. We wrote him congratulatory thoughts and wishes on the windows with window markers and taped balloons in our school’s colours to the window frames. Our family said “goodbye” to his running career as we enjoyed a lovely dinner, but little did we know his interest in the sport would be sparked several years down the road.

            He said he was joining his high school’s team to stay fit and in shape for his upcoming soccer and ball hockey seasons this year. No matter what the reason, we’re all happy he’s decided to run again. We’re a little worried about the combination of his klutziness and the roots/rocks/trees that he could injure himself with, but we’re all used to keeping band-aids on hand at this point.

            He’s been doing pretty well, and has even made some friends along the way. For those who know him, they know he can be very chatty, friendly and outgoing. In fact, I was cheering him on this past Thursday and had to yell at him for trying to talk to me. “You’re in a race! Don’t talk to me! Just RUN!” I cried as he and his new buddy picked up their pace.

He had an amazing finish I must say. I’m pretty sure he has a bigger kick at the end of a race than I do!

I’ve learned a lot from my brother. He walks around with a giant, black cloud hanging over his head and he wears a smile regardless. He’s “Mr. Optimistic”- a glass half full kind of guy. He always remains positive and determined as he works hard towards his goals.

There are times when I don’t achieve a certain goal in a race, when I’m not cast as the role I was hoping for (or at all) in a show, or when I don’t score a high mark on a test or assignment at school. Those are the times when I have to think like him, and learn from my mistakes so I can better myself in the future.

He may not be perfect, but he’s my biggest cheerleader- Mr. Optimistic.