Transition Time…Again

Especially at a private Catholic school, like the one my daughters attended, you HAVE to donate time, PERIOD. 40 hours each year. You busy? Travel a lot? Hey, good for you. 40 hours my friend. Here’s the thing, I bought in to it. I never thought I would. I was a comedian, a writer, I was an artist! My life was auditions, networking, doing shows.

My other comic friends and I used to joke about the PTA and school boards. I’m not that guy, I told myself. No way am I spending my weekends donating time and sweeping out a gym. WRONG. I jumped right in to everything. I chaired numerous boards and PVC (Parent Volunteer Committee) meetings. Need four dozen cupcakes for the bake sale? I’m on it. Run the grill at the “Hootenanny?” I’m your man. I turned my creative focus toward the school. I produced and directed a talent show starring the parents, as well as a comedy show starring the students. I taught an improve class to the kids. 40 hours? I blew that away. I put in so many hours we stopped keeping track. I even scheduled my road gigs around my two daughters’ activities. Volleyball games? Recitals?  Name it, I was there. If there was such a thing as a soccer dad, I was it. I was all in.

This was all part of my “give-your-kids-a-better-life-than-you-had” plan. If you just do that, all will be good, right? It’s why my wife and I sent the kids to private school. It’s why when my wife and I split I moved a block away, staying in the valley instead of moving thirty minutes away to the beach. It’s why I spent the last three years fighting my soon to be Ex for joint custody, trying to keep them in L.A – a fight that ended last week when I gave up, signed the papers and gave them permission to move to Chicago.

Transition to: (NOW)

I dunno. I’ve never been good at predicting these transition periods in my life. What to do, now? I know one thing, my calendar is gonna be a lot less full. No more bake sales or school functions. I’ll have the kids one weekend a month, not three days a week. What am I gonna do with all that free time? Scotch and video games?

A friend recently told me that he thought I was lucky. He said it would be like going back in time. He said that I could go back to the clubs, start writing again, networking, weekend parties, midnight poker games. “It will be like you’re in your twenties again,” he said.

I hope it’s more like my thirties…the twenties were the meth years.

(To be continued…)

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Lenny Schmidt

Lenny Schmidt is an actor/comic/writer/director who lives in Los Angeles. He's appeared in numerous films and TV shows including "Southland", "True Blood", and "Castle". He's performed stand-up in clubs, theaters, and cruise ships all over the world. He enjoys sleep, steak, and sports, not necessarily in that order.

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