The Sabbatical - The Project Period Audit

Part of the purpose of The Sabbatical is to take a break from this thirty-four year juggernaut that I am going to call The Project Period.  I have never been particularly successful at engaging in sustained attention to a traditional career path, but have instead lurched somewhat compulsively from one engaging project to another.  Often juggling multiple projects at the same time.  This post, which I will probably have to edit over time as my memory allows, is dedicated to a listing of the activities of The Project Period.

Many of these projects are in addition to the employment that I had at the time.

S&T Enterprises - 1979 to 1981 (or so????)  Entrepreneurial activities with Scot Torkelson that included Firewood Sales and Insulation Services.  Brief.  Intense.

UMN Hospitals Materials Services Renovation Project - 1980-81 -- Student job that turned into a bizarre little student fiefdom in the UMN Hospitals and Clinics.  Also with Scot Torkelson.

Theater in the Round Technical Advisory Board -- 1981-8? -- A period when I was working with Teresa Blanchard to help this wonderful community theater continue its work to provide quality technical theater support for its productions.

Non-Aligned Players - 1985? - A short lived theater company, also with Teresa Blanchard.

Kapers for Kids and Funsteps to Learning -- 1988-2000 -- Shepherded a small, family business through two existential crises.  Worked with Bev Greene, Jeanne Balzum, John Marzitelli, Sheri Sheeks, and a host of other folks who were touched by this project (which still lives on).  Although this overlapped with some of the work I did at Theater in the Round, this was a period when I was pretty focused on this one project.  Of course, I was experiencing a new marriage and the birth and parenting of two great kids throughout this period.

Plymouth Jr. High Program - late 90's and early 2000's??  about eight years -- Worked with Bonnie Janda.

Plymouth Playshop Theater Camp -- Provided technical and acting coaching for this growing theater camp with Jo Holcomb and Janice Hardy.

RAHS Drama - 2001-2012 - This was a huge project in which I really learned what it means to provide an educational experience within a theatrical environment.

Eat Street Players - 2006-2012 - Artistic Director with Jo Holcomb.  Lots of energy here.

MN Thespians - 2009-2012 - Established the MN Thespians State Chapter Conference -- Established a great relationship with some cool folks from The Guthrie and from MN high school theater programs.

The Infinite Academy - 2010-2012 - Efforts with Sam Tanner to find a home for a new way of doing education.  This project never landed but was critical in helping me to develop my thinking about theater and education.

Roseville Area Schools Staff Development -- 2007-2012 -- Tried to figure out how to have an impact on education within the system.  Tough nut to crack, there.

Families Moving Forward at Plymouth Congregational Church - 2011-12 -- Small but intense projects to provide short term housing for homeless families.

All of these activities happened on top of or along with the day to day process of having a family and earning an income.

This is a rough sketch that I'll add to as I think about what I've been up to.  It's good to know where you've come from as you consider where you might want to go.

The Sabbatical - Day One

50.  That's how old I am as of this moment.  Actually, to use the nomenclature of the young, whom I think I aspire to espouse, I am 50 and a half, plus a little.  I have been working steadily, often in multiple settings and at various projects, particularly if you include work where compensation is...shall we say limited, since I was sixteen.  Which is thirty-four and a half years, plus a little.  Except during that very unpleasant recession in 1981, but that's another conversation.

And I begin to think that I have let myself be defined by what I do in ways that surprise me.  Perhaps that is inevitable.  Who are we except for what we do?  Whatever we do...we do relationships...we do work...we do recreation...lots of different things we do and we define ourselves.

Michael does theater...and education.  And that is how I have allowed myself to be defined.  And to at least some extent I like that.  Theater and education are great things and I am happy to be defined that way.  But I have become so busy DOING them that I'm not so sure who I am within them.  Or maybe why I am doing them?

On another front, I have been working for the Roseville Schools for eleven years now, which is the measurement which has in the past indicated time for change.

Anyway, these are some of the things that lead me to see that a time for a change is upon me and I have been working toward a change for a couple of years but now Katie is going to graduate and Sheri and I have divorced and I think to myself, "What the fuck?  Why am I working so hard?"  And I need to be healthier and exercise and have more reflective time and, "Holy, shit!  It just goes on and on..."

Time to reboot.

And it's a unique opportunity to do a real reboot.  To completely clear the system and put some energy into carefully selecting the things that get back in.

So, as of this moment, my plan is to do my reboot in June, 2013.  Sell the house, sell everything that won't fit into my Prius (maybe store a few things) and go forth and experience life without being responsible for organizing and working it.

So this is day one of The Sabbatical.  For the next twelve months I am going to engage the Preparations For The Sabbatical.  Preparing the mind, body and soul for the moment when the reboot occurs.

Things to do as a part of The Preparation:  Make a bucket list.  Get healthier so that a lack of health insurance during The Sabbatical isn't a huge risk.  Find places to land.  Renew the passport.  Sell your stuff.  Quit your job.  Handover responsibilities at Roseville Schools, RAHS Drama, Eat Street Players and MN Thespians.  Save some money.  Learn how to eat and live on almost nothing.  Get into the habit of journaling (here).

Okay.  This is day one.  Reboot minus 364 days.