There are two weeks left in my first year with PUSH. On June 5th we start a short run at a theatre in Rochester followed by two days of regular shows. This takes us to June 10th, which is marked on my calendar as the last day of the Trainee program.

Whew. Oct 2nd to June 10th. Crazy times.

Don’t worry, I won’t get all sappy and do a year recap in this post. I’m not a huge fan of soliloquizing in any case. (This does make blogging difficult at times…)

The thought that comes to mind is actually a line from the musical Rent.
How do you measure a year in the life of friends?

Not much of a line, but it speaks to the idea of counting time in something other than minutes and seconds.

Some results from that train of thought:

• Friendships gained – I have a lot of friends up here who I value very highly.
• Friendships left – physical proximity is a huge barrier. I’ve also firmly put most of my college friendships in the ‘past’ category – not all by any means, just most.
• Career growth- instead of constantly creating the method and means to go forward, I spent this year learning and following others.
• Personal growth – always hard to define, but I definitely have made some marked improvements (I think) in the manner and style by which I encounter the world. In particular I feel like I’ve filled in a lot of the gaps in my life that constantly left me on shaky ground.
• Etc… – it’s hard, nay!, Impossible! to name everything that changed over so many months. Here’s to the ‘Unknown Detail’ upon this Mars Hill (I’m currently on ‘Walnut Hill’, but I don’t think that makes for as clear an allusion).

The occasion on which I’m feeling so reflective is that today was my final day in the studio for this season. I think we (PUSH) noticed this coming up a few weeks ago and then didn’t think any more on the subject until it was under our feet and gone. Combine this with the residual experiences from my excursion back to Jackson two weeks ago (!) and I went all thoughtful and introspective.

The final note for this go-around has to do with that oh-so-clever segue about my trip to Jackson… alright, it was just a normal segue – but at least I made it somewhat ironic!

*Ahem* The segue was SUPPOSED to mention how I felt like that trip put an endcap on my experience here. With all the maturing and changing I’ve experienced, going home felt like I was trying to act like another person. I wasn’t, but the general expectations from people who haven’t seen much of me for almost a year were disconcerting.

However, it was kinda cool how I was able to meet my family and good friends at a new place. It was good to remember who I’ve been and then find ways to pick out elements of that to reincorporate into who I am now. I wish I had more time to process those things with everyone back home, but alas this was not to be.

Oh well, that will be for next time.

Now, for an updated reading list!

What I’m Reading Now:
Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis by Michael Ward

On the Shelf:
The Necessity of Theater by Paul Woodruf
The Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster