"Goodnight, goodnight, parting is such sweet sorrow That I shall say goodnight till it be morrow" -Juliet, Act 2 Scene 2
Well, its finally here, the eve of my departure. I can't believe how quickly these past eleven weeks have gone by. It seems like just yesterday I was starting this blog and predicting the mighty big adventure of what was to follow. And my goodness, what an adventure it has been.
To put it simply, my life is forever changed.
I will admit that I thought I knew the ending of this chapter before I even opened the book. This was just going to be the few months I spent in Seattle all that time ago that would be fun reminiscing about as I continue my day to day life in Los Angeles. I didn't think that the tether to this city, and this family, and this experience would be so strong.
I had a hard time thinking about the direction I was going while I was up here. Was this a forward step, or backwards? I was leaving so much behind when I sat in my car and drove away. How was I going to survive without my friends, support system, and my cat! And yet, here is opportunity, knocking at my door, and I couldn't refuse. I settled on the idea that this was a side step in my life, just a divergence from the path. Now it seems that this branch has blossomed leaves and more opportunities keep presenting themselves. I owe it to myself to walk a little longer on this thread, perhaps a bigger adventure awaits.
To my beautiful cast:
I miss you every day. You all have changed my life. It is because of you that this production was grander than our greatest dreams. Witnessing lights in your eyes when you had an acting breakthrough, the smiles you shared when you became a true ensemble, and the pride for your work was truly inspiring. Its what I want out of life.
You have given me purpose. This, what we created together, has opened my eyes to a passion I had forgotten was there. I now have dreams and goals to build a theater company that was inspired by all of you. You make me want to aspire to become a better director, and a better teacher. That's why I've decided to apply for graduate school for Fall of 2015. I'll be pursuing an MFA in Directing. This next year is going to be all about research, campus visits, applications, and beefing up my directing resume, all in pursuit of this new dream. Thank you, I would have never made these big changes without you.
I'm not ready to leave Seattle. Its been so short a time here. It feels like an eternity since I've been in Los Angeles, but then again I've just gotten started here. I'm so sad to go.
I have to keep reminding myself that this is not an ending. This is just the beginning of a new and wonderful journey. I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of this new dream.
So yes, maybe I will look back on these past eleven weeks and think that they were "the few months I spent in Seattle a few years ago", but I will also remember how it was a turning point in my life for something greater.
Goodbye Seattle. I will miss you. <3