In a couple of weeks, it will be exactly one year since I decided to pursue performing arts and entertainment again. Early on, I doubted my decision and wondered aloud if I was being flighty or I had simply lost my mind (as my mother would prefer to believe). Overall, it’s been a great experience and I’m in awe of the opportunities I’ve been granted. I’ve learned a lot in the last twelve months, but the most important lesson is that I have a new personal treasure. It’s called rest. After having bouts of low energy and a sore throat, I needed a couple of days off. I made a doctor’s visit who decided this was the perfect time for me to stay home and go on vocal rest. Vocal rest requires that you not talk, hum, or even think about singing along to your Pandora station so your vocal chords can rest. It wasn’t easy to sit still and it was even harder for me to avoid talking. (Who does this? LOL) But the quiet time gave me a different perspective on what’s important at this point in my life. Today’s blog is a simple reminder of what taking a “time out” can do for you.
For one, what worked in the past may not work in the present and you better adjust if you
want to stay in the game. Ten years ago, I was at Disney as a twenty-somethin’ with braids in my hair, short shorts, and a sassy mouth. Now, I’m thirty-ish, have adult acne, still sassy, and no longer princess like but queen worthy. Back then, I strolled into work and didn’t even think about warming up. Not only that, but I’d drink a soda and stuff a Snickers bar down my throat right before show time without any problem, other than maybe having a nut in my teeth. Now, I pay for it if I don’t do some sort of vocal exercise, and have at least three cups of water before show time. For those who don’t sing, it’s kind of like remembering the days when you could stay out until 4am the next morning and still be wide awake for work without any “Five Hour Energy” to help you make it through the day. Coming back to Disney was a reality check for me. While I realize I’m talented, I can’t just show up unprepared and expect excellence. For me, that means doing what I used to laugh at others for doing. Now, I’m a better performer when I warm up and watch what I eat. For me, it’s all about healthier choices, even taking time out to rest even when others don’t seem to have the same needs. Which leads me to my next thought.
I can’t worry about what other people think when doing what’s best for me, especially when it
comes to my health. So accepting the doctor’s request for vocal rest meant I had to miss work. It’s easy in corporate positions to roll into the office when you’re sick and swallowing pills and orange juice to get through the day. But it gets a little fuzzy when your money-maker is your voice and the office refuses to let you use a background track to cover my voice cracks. So, I had a choice, either continue singing on swollen vocal chords just to “seem” like a good employee, or take time to heal from over singing and so I don’t damage my voice in the long run. I felt a little guilty at first missing work, but then realized that life goes on with or without me. I’m learning to not so feel bad when I take a day off. And honestly, that’s why we have coworkers, substitutes, understudies, and contingency plans on the job. Look at the response of managers when an employee puts in their notice to leave the company. What happens? They accept the two-week notice, have a going away party, but not before posting a notice for a job opening. Just like that. So just like that, I’ve learned to do what’s best for me because when I’m no longer a valuable part of the show, someone will step right in and fill in like I was never there. In entertainment, they use the phrase “the show must go on.” I guess I’ve adopted the mantra for myself, I need my life to go on as well. And not be stuck. So I rest. When I need to, because sometimes that’s whats best for me.
