Hello world! I'm back! And welcome to another post where I give you my week from my perspective. Here are some of my weekly moments from 29th May-4th June 2023:
As usual on Mondays I went to work at my day job. Except this time, it was a little different. Going into it there was no picking. But I've been told that whilst I was off, there had been a technical problem which casued a huge number of stock to not come in the shop. But it wasn't just the branch in my local town that has happened, but nearly every Waitrose store in the country was suffering from this problem. At that point I was facing up everything, making sure all the products are faced up right and they're all in the same place. But I was given a very special job. I was tasked with finding sandwiches and any other food on the go products that were out of date and throw them away. As I was doing it whilst I was happily listening to my playlist, which I normally do before the shop opens, I noticed that a lot of products I found were of yesterdays date (28th May). The manager said to his fellow colleagues "This is why I picked Lucy especially for this job", and I'm glad he did. I felt as though I had a sense of purpose in life, and that if I wasn't in the acting industry, this would be my next career option if it was one.
FUN FACT: When I was younger I wanted to be a detective. I don't know what it was about it, but the thrill for adventure and mystery always excited me. Even though it wore off since then, maybe this incident in particular gave me a sense of purpose and fulfilment that's not acting.
Later on in the day I went to rehearsals and lets just say its the most challenging one I've been to, and some of it wasn't actually at the rehearsal itself. Firstly when the director said he didn't need me for long I thought to myself could get a later train, only to find it got delayed by 30mins. By the time I got there I knew I wasn't in the right frame of mind. I was hot, sweaty, and all I thought about was going home. However, I managed to perform a soprano note on a song (a high vocal range), unblocking that mental block. Before this rehearsal, I was really conscious of singing a solo, even if it was for one line, as even though I did it before, to sing a high note in front of a group of people I met in a matter of weeks was terrifying. but I overcame it and I felt a sense of relief. even though I didn't stay at the rehearsal for long I felt like I definitely achieved something, even if I was hot and bothered. But after yet another delayed train on the way back, I had a feeling this week was going to be hard work.
This week has got to the point where I was slowly getting exhausted and it was definitely time to listen to my body.
On Tuesday, I went to the gym, but after 20 minutes I had to stop. My body was telling me "No. You need to rest". In these cases there's a difference between being lazy and your body needing to recover. I normally plan my weeks and get overwhelmed if things need changing, but I thought in this case, maybe its time to reschedule. And in some ways it was a blessing, as in this industry, there are going to be quick turnarounds, and if I can't handle making slight changes into my weekly schedule how will I manage quick turnarounds for self-tapes? So in some ways this has been a blessing in disguise. But I still went to Tuesdays session was definitely worth it as I never laughed so much when we blocked a scene for a play we are doing on 4th July. I firmly believe in moments like these laughter is the best medicine. It was also my friends last session before he goes away on his travels around Asia for 6 weeks. I was surprised on how I didn't cry about it. But maybe its because I know he's going to have a good time, and after seeing on his social media profiles on him in other parts of the world, I knew he was born to be a traveler.
Now normally on Wednesdays I go to the gym and have a full day to focus on my career. But I decided that from this week onwards (especially until the performance of Salad Days), Wednesdays for me are now “Wellness Wednesdays”.
On these days I don’t normally do anything that involves going out of the house. So I've made the decision to focus on at least 2 hours of my career (which include listening to some brilliant Act On This podcast, like this one below where the host chatted to Alexandra McLean from McLean Williams LTD, a boutique agency based in London) and then other stuff like writing this blog or stories to help me feel creatively fulfilled and also do activities like colouring in, reading and watching TV, particularly the Serial Dramas so that I know what's happening and what to look out for.
On Thursday 1st June it was another chilled day. Normally on Thursdays I do the cooking, but my dad insisted he do it instead. I was unsure at first as I knew he'd been poorly with Vertigo and even though he's a lot better than he was, half term in had definitely brought the tiredness on him. But I let him off on this one, as it's not very often your parent spoils you. But after I finished work, things got a bit heated. Not bad as we made up the next day, but let's just say that after suggesting a compromise before bedtime, things got a bit sour. I hate moments like this, and it definitely had a lasting affect on me before bedtime.
When I came into work on Friday I was dreading it. I was due to go on the tills at a certain point, and after my little disagreement with my dad, it definitely had an affect. My line manager found me outside and I explained to her what happened. She was very understanding, and she knew I did the right thing by going outside to have a moment, as lets face it, me lashing out at a customer is not the best thing to do, especially if you're working for a big chain like Waitrose. When the time came to be on the tills I actually came off and on the tills in the time they said they did and not kept me for longer. I finally feel now that the staff are finally starting to get the message on my needs. I also finished watching A Town Called Malice (Which I will review on a later blog) and it was casted by the same people who casted Line of Duty.
I went out to Nottingham to watch the show Kinky Boots, performed by the Carlton Operatic Society. I know I was at work early this morning, but on days like these I can manage to go to work and do something in the afternoon, as it was nothing strenuous but just a day out with my friends. it also meant I could sleep better in the evening.
This trip was very important to me as well, as not only was someone from the workshop in this show, but it was also my friends last theatre trip as he’s now travelling around the wonderful continent of Asia. After the show and after a drink my grandparents picked me up from Nottingham due to the rail strikes, and after some convincing, me and then bought a burger king on the way back. So overall, a deeply satisfied day.
To finish off this week I went to work and was debating on going to a rehearsal. This was due to female problems kicking in and reflecting on life. As loneliness is a common thing to suffer in the industry, as sometimes it means sacrificing spending time with friends, family and all the other things you see on social media. But this is the life I've chosen, and I feel I've dealt with it well. Despite feeling this way, I went anyway and even though it was only a small part we blocked and the fact that I only stayed for an hour I’m glad I went. As I got to surround myself with brilliant people and I left with a smile on my face. And that was all that matters.
So what have I learnt this week? In the words of Lucy Spraggan, "After Dawn there will be sunshine, and all the dust will go".
I hope everyone is well and keep an eye out for my next post...
Until next time...
This is the Autistic Actress singing off :)
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