I just completed the scenic painting for a local theatre’s stage production. For me it is a passion project. I love working for the theatre. I love the creative minds and beautiful souls who are drawn to this sort of work. The hours were grueling and the design was extremely complex. I admit that I had more than a little difficulty managing my time and efforts. There were moments when I thought that I might have bitten off more than I could chew.

However, there is something to be said about being in the flow of life. Having the opportunity to be around young, energetic, bold, innovative young people willing to take personal risks to be creative and show their talents is an opportunity so wonderful that I cannot imagine walking away. A theatrical production can be nothing short of a magical experience for everyone involved. What else is to be expected when a diverse group of talented people come together for one brief and shining moment to make something that has never existed before and shall never be again?

At the end of my very first production with this theatre, I was devastated to see the set struck, the marquee changed and the actors go their separate ways. I wanted that perfect, golden moment to be suspended in time forever. How could all this energy, this enormous pool of talent, just disperse into the night…forever shattered? Well, I think I have finally gained some understanding.

Yesterday morning I woke up feeling blue. I had finished every last bit of painting on my final punch list for the show that’s opening this weekend (cue the music: Cole Porter’s Another Opening, Another Show). I had been looking so forward to finally getting a chance to rest. I was done. I was out, and there were a million things on my personal to do list. But…something was missing. I felt a loss. Then I remembered, done is the engine of more. This is what keeps actors, directors, stage managers, producers, sound engineers, lighting designers, carpenters, etc. going.

It’s the idea that a theatrical production (while being a one-of-a-kind thing of beauty) is only a part of a lifetime of achievements. There will always be more. As the famous stage and early film actress Sarah Bernhardt said, “Life begets life. Energy creates energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.” Giving your all for a show of this magnitude is truly rewarding, a labor of love. It’s like having a baby. It can be painful, a bit messy, sometimes frightening, and seemly never ending. Yet, the moment you see that beautiful, beautiful baby on opening night, all else is forgotten. And so I will go once more into the fray. I am thrilled, exhausted, enlivened and renewed by the idea of more.

Have you recently finished a major project, only to find yourself dejected and foundering? Does it seem as if you have been working towards a particular goal for so long that you’ve lost sight of yourself and everything that used to matter to you? Perhaps you are searching for something to be passionate about in the first place. Working with a therapist on these kinds of issues can be surprisingly helpful and may lead you to discovering parts of yourself that you didn’t even know you had lost. Please contact Life Enhancement Counseling Services in Orlando today at 407-443-8862 to schedule your appointment with one of our highly trained professional therapists.