SCA-desires, wants, and priorities (part 2)

A quick recap...in the last post, I had called for us "old-times" to ask ourselves the questions I ask of newcomers.  What it is that we think of when we bring to mind the Middle Ages, what it is we want from the Society for Creative Anachronism, and where the SCA lies in our priorities.

When I think of the Middle Ages, I still picture castles and knights and ladies wearing pointy hats, that I now know are called hennins.  I think of cathedrals and abbeys, fields of grain and fields for tourneys.  And under it all is still a little of old Hollywood with Camelot and Danny Kaye and Errol Flynn.

For what I want from the SCA?  That's a harder question.  I want to feel that initial awe I felt at that first event.  To breathe in the experience.  How amazing is it that these people pull together to create a taste of the Middle Ages and Renaissance?  I want to make sure I go to events and be the persona so many people helped me to develop over the years.  Lady Elizabeth is a delightful flirt, a hardworking laborer who sets up and clears away decorations for the tournament, a cook that wants to make sure the people are well fed and enjoyed the food, an artisan who might not be a major talent but is willing to share what she knows in hopes that those gentles she taught will go on to out stripe her abilities.  I want to improve the skills I have and continue to dabble in new experiences.

But where to find the time and what to focus on?  Unlike that time back in college when we had weekly gatherings to plan and hold workshops and nearly daily fencing practices, I am responsible for more than just getting to class and getting good grades.  I have a full time job and since marrying, two families that live 60 miles apart.  How do I balance the commitment to the SCA with my modern responsibilities.  How do you  decide which is more important....a business meeting or your husband's grandfather's 85th birthday party that was planned at the last minute so he wouldn't raise a fuss about a fuss being raised over him?  Which is more important to a parent, fighter practice or their child's school play?  You have a bad cold but committed to teaching a workshop?  You are supposed to help out with court, but your company is behind on filling orders or got a new account that needs immediate attention?