Three Ring Circus

I am sitting at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus on a school field trip and as the lion tamer whips his feline friends and shouts “Everybody Scream!” I can’t do so.  I merely gasp…

So many things are going through my mind as I write this blog post.  Even as I wrote that previous sentence, it just reminded me of why I am writing this. 

I have reached my maximum potential at St. Pius V School.  In addition to math enrichment, content-based previewing, review and remediation, computer/technology class, sacrament preparation, the PeaceWorks program, the after school program Tuesdays and Thursdays, Chess club on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, chaperoning field trips, and substituting, I was able to finally initiate the Computer/Technology club (Fridays after school).

Now you have to understand, I am in no way complaining.  In fact, if you have been able to witness my life, I have always thrived on wearing multiple hats.

I believe it all started with musical theater.  I was five when I started performing in community theater and it started my juggling act.  Ironically, I cannot juggle, so this is merely a metaphor.  I started to juggle elementary school academics, a social life and rehearsals/performances. 

In middle school, extracurricular activities were added into the mix.  In high school, I added on discovering who I was, working part time jobs, and exploring relationships. 

In college, I ran the gamut:  Resident Advisor, Student Government, Gay-Straight Alliance, STAC Singers, Laetare Players, Spartan Volunteers, Campus Ministry, and so much more.

After graduation, I started working part time at Education First, an international English school.  It started with being an RA and ended with about three to four part-time jobs.

And here we come full circle to Dominican Volunteers.  Add in community, a spiritual journey, and a new state and city and you can begin to see how I got to wearing my many hats at St. Pius V.

At each step of life, I foolishly told myself I would start fresh and not get so involved.  But I just can’t sit back and relax.  It’s not who I am or how I grow. 

I realize that sometimes friendships or relationships fall by the wayside while I am out there experiencing life.  I am sad to see them go, but I’ve come to realize I live in the moment.  I realized it back in that gasp while watching the lion tamer.  “There is no future, there is no past, let’s live this moment as our last,” the RENT lyrics go. 

I go above and beyond with what I’ve got.  Some say I spread myself too thin, some say I am neglectful, some say I am a workaholic.  They are probably all correct. It is what it is and I don’t want to change.  I get to experience so many beautiful moments in life and for that I am grateful. 

My God moments come in being fully present in the moment and having those connections with other people in that moment.

If you know me, you know that I have an atrocious memory.  I wonder if it may not be the memory, but perhaps it’s how I perceive the world.  I don’t want to dwell on the past or worry too much about the future.  I just want to live for the now.  I want to see all three rings of the circus at once and live in each moment.

I'm sorry, I had to...