breathing

I've been working from home for the last few days recuperating from some minor outpatient surgery. With the beautiful fall weather I've been able to open the windows and doors, to feel the cool air of the mornings and the wonderful warm days. To stop and breathe.

Working from the office is always about what deadline is looming and what decision needs to be made right now. A salesperson is always stopping by to try to sell an ad or a community group wanting to get a donation for a fundraiser or something else. A staff member wants me to look at something or needs an answer to a question. There always seems to be something that prevents me from taking the time to fully explore an idea- appointments, telephone calls, emails.... It is creativity at 70 mph.

Working from home seems to be about taking time to notice possibilities. I've read almost 4 scripts while drinking my coffee and then think about how those themes reflect in our community. I've taken my sketch pad and tried out several ideas for sets and costumes. I've spent time thinking about how to solve the problems we are facing without the added pressure of others standing there waiting for an answer. (With the exception of a large 2 year old yellow lab with a blue squeak toy who always seems to want my attention!) Most Executive Directors of Arts organizations have a 5-7 year tenure. (That was a statistic from several years ago. It may be even shorter now.) It is not a job for someone who can't deal with long hours and stress.

As we end the first show of the 45th season we find ourselves dealing with many of the same problems that challenged our theatre at the end of the last season. Too much to do with not enough people. We are scrambling to find volunteers to usher and to auditions for roles in plays. Our staff is dealing with a dozen different competing demands all of which require time and money-both of which are in short supply. We keep turning to familiar solutions to solve problems which seem to have less and less ability to solve the problems. But how do you find new ways if you are constantly pressed for time. We seem to operate in perpetual crises mode. Sounds like the challenges facing our country doesn't it.

This week with the storm on Sunday that knocked out power for part of the day, everything stopped running for a short time and we stopped to take a breath. That breath for me continued during the week with my time away from the office. Even with the vacations this summer I never seemed to feel like I stopped to breathe. I had forgotten what it was like to stop to breathe. To make decisions without the pressure of a crises. It is the last week of My Way performances and then it is off to the races for the next three shows. Jim is building the scenery for High School Musical, April is teaching classes, Marsha is working on contributions, program ads and sponsors, Janice is working on High School Musical costumes, Alexis is working on getting tickets on sale for the next 3 shows, and I'm working on thinking about the future. This week has been a gift to me to open the windows and breathe in the fresh air to clear the mind.