"I miss him truthful much," I sobbed into the phone. "I don't cognize if I tin do this." I was amazed my sister could understand maine done the tears, but she'd ever been bully astatine decoding my words — and what was down them. I'd been away from home for little than 48 hours, and I missed my 12-year-old boy truthful fiercely that I wasn't judge I could grip the region for 3 afloat weeks. Had I made the correct determination successful taking a dream occupation 2 states away?
I wanted to travel my dream
During my childhood, I spent overmuch much clip making up (and performing) musicals wrong than playing kickball outside. I reimagined shows I loved and made my ain mashups — Oklahoma Annie! played connected selected evenings successful my surviving room pinch an added Sunday matinee. It was nary astonishment to anyone that my emotion of theatre continued, and I graduated from college pinch a BFA successful Musical Theater. I was a master character measurement earlier my hubby and boy took halfway stage. (Theater pun free of charge.)
For years, performing took a backseat to parenting, but dream shows still tugged astatine my insides. I kept a short database of those I'd emotion to beryllium progressive successful — particularly arsenic my boy became much independent. So, pinch my hubby and son's encouragement, I started auditioning for productions wrong a five-hour radius of home. And, would you judge it, I was formed — for a dream role, successful 1 of my dream musicals, playing a mom. Wow.
It was 2 states away, and I'd beryllium gone for 3 weeks. I was excited, but nervous.
My hubby and boy supported my decision
"You request to do it," my hubby said. With his support, I relaxed a small but had nary thought really my boy would react. We're a close family, and I'd only ever near him for a fewer days astatine most. Clearly, a speech needed to happen, truthful aft meal and earlier homework, I told him the news.
My 12-year-old has grown up watching some his parents onstage. When he was 8, he proudly announced he was auditioning for his schoolhouse show, and he's been performing ever since. I deliberation having that position allowed him to understand the value of my connection because he said pinch a grown-up certainty, "You should decidedly go, Mom."
I hugged him close, and we talked astir what the region meant for our family. He ne'er changed his mind moreover arsenic doubts ran done mine, pinch questions like: Would I miss retired connected excessively overmuch time? Would everyone beryllium OK? Would he and my hubby beryllium capable to find their socks? The confidence successful my kid's eyes held steady, truthful I said yes.
It was difficult astatine first, but it was transformative
The first fewer days distant were a struggle, and I called my sister from my car and burst into tears. "Give it a mates much days and spot really you feel," she counseled. And she was right. Over the adjacent weeks, I reconnected pinch a portion of myself I'd unintentionally shelved — independent from my domiciled arsenic a woman and mother.
When I became a parent, my hopes shifted to my son. I put speech my aspirations to afloat promote him. I was happy to do it, but I'd forgotten what it felt for illustration to beryllium the woman who sang songs successful her surviving room for nary 1 other but herself. Taking the abstraction was a powerful reminder of who I americium astatine my core—and that there's still clip to promote her hopes, too. My dream show turned into a dream acquisition — made each the much singular by the astir talented formed and crew.
Now that I'm backmost location successful my accustomed role, I tin spot really my prime changed me, and those astir me. The 21 days distant became an opportunity for my family to study caller versions of support, and for my kiddo to measurement into a more grown-up phase of life. His proud grin astatine tackling much day-to-day adulting boosted his self-esteem successful ways that don't hap erstwhile I'm ever around. It was kismet. Even pinch each the texts I sewage that read, "Have you seen my socks?"
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