Positive Evidence

One benefit of having two tough weeks in Alaska is having the following week seem entirely too easy. One downside of having two tough weeks in Alaska is having the following week seem entirely too easy. I’ll explain.

We left St. Michael Sunday afternoon and winged our way north to Nome. With a couple of hours before our flight to Anchorage, we hopped into the bustling metropolis of Nome (about 8 blocks by 12 blocks) for some dinner. Two weeks earlier, Nome looked and felt foreign, a small outpost far from home. After the villages, entering this rugged town felt like a homecoming of sorts. There were people, stores, a gas station. I had phone reception, I had a burger, I walked down paved streets with little trash in sight. No matter how much we’d like to believe we aren’t shaped by or dependent on our surroundings, we are hopelessly stuck with what we know.

En route to Anchorage, I spent much of the flight listening to the loud, intoxicated, and often obscene arguing of an older couple behind me. Several babies added to the cacophony, but at least the infants didn’t know any better. Maybe I’m wrong to give the adults too much credit. Perhaps spending time in a world so different from my own heightened my sensitivity to this particular decorum, but I believe one should know the difference between public and private behavior. With a beer in the Anchorage airport to toast our weeks in Alaska down the gullet, we boarded our flight to Seattle at 12:30am.

We arrived bleary-eyed to a grey morning and loaded our truck for our drive over to Bremerton, first taking in a Denny’s Grand Slam for energy. J.D. dropped me off at my homestay, I said hello, and promptly fell asleep.

Now getting back to the opening contradiction. The kids in Bremerton were fantastic: talented, experienced, smart, fun, and excited to be there 95% of the time. They made our job easy and enjoyable and ended up putting on one of the best shows we’ve had on tour. One girl was probably the best talent we’ve had in our casts all year long. And no, I don’t just believe this stuff because I’m comparing it with the two difficult casts prior, but the comparison did make it seem even better.

By Wednesday, the week was in cruise control and we were able to start really working on specifics with the kids, giving more to kids who showed they could handle it. However, we also noticed that rehearsals that week were making us lazy. Without the constant need to be on the ball that a difficult cast provides, it becomes hard to stay motivated. The previous week I spent my time chasing after kids and struggling to teach them a stripped down version of the show. A few days later and I feel almost unnecessary; give the kids the script, sit back, and enjoy.

It’s not many jobs that rewards hard work as disproportionately and inconsistently as this one does. Work like a dog one week and you may never see the fruits of your labor. Feel like you didn’t do much at all the next and you have a dynamite show and eternally grateful kids. I do know this, I was reminded in Bremerton of the impact of this job. Almost ever single kid accomplished something great during the week, was proud of that accomplishment, and thankful for the opportunity. Evidence like that is needed every once in a while. I know I’m grateful for it.