Showing posts with label ballet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ballet. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Rise and Shine --- It's the shoes

Good Morning and here we are again!

All day yesterday, I heard the same question: "Is it time yet? Is it time yet? Is it time yet?"
For one of the few times, it wasn't about waiting for cookies coming out of the oven or going to the playground.
Tuesday was a special day for a 6-year old I know. Sure, she's had big life moments come and go over the last few weeks. There was the end of kindergarten, the taking off of training wheels and learning how to whistle.
Still, Tuesday was special. Tuesday was the dance recital day.
Truth be told, she was getting kind of bored with dance class every Saturday. Most Saturday mornings, I had to remind her about the fun of class. I had to talk her into getting the tights on, getting the stuff together.
For the last month, though, it's been different. They've been going over the routine. They've been talking about getting on the stage.
So, the time came Tuesday night, the lights were out and, behind the curtain, you could here the movement of little feet.
You can't help but smile when you see the spotlight greeted by the smiles. To me, it was better than any show I've seen.
Now, I'll have to convince her to put the costume away.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Rise and Shine ---- Time not on my side

Good Morning and welcome to October!

OK, I know, it's not really October, but it sure feels that way out there today.
By the way, have you ever noticed how time seems to speed up when you need it to slow down.
Case in point, while the two little ones (Malena's getting ready for another year of Pre-K and Brendan's staring second grade) had a couple of more days off before school starts today, we had one more afternoon of 'summer.'
We played. We talked. We cleaned. We yelled. We ate. You know, a typical day with a 4- and 7-year old. Those hours seemed to last forever. The clock wasn't moving as we waited to pick up big brother (Liam, 10, started fifth grade on Tuesday). By 3 p.m., it seemed like we had spent weeks since the morning drop off.
So, we slowly walked down to school, waited for the exit and slowly walked back. We got home about 3:30 p.m.
Suddenly, the clock went into hyperspeed. It was time to get ready for the first day of ballet class (it apparently is next week, but at least the dancer got to dress up). Mom was on the way home. The phone was ringing. The boys were fighting. There was 'stuff' all over the place.
In the whirlwind of dance, eating, walking dogs, filling out forms, making lunches, giving baths, checking last-minute e-mail, joking around, reading --- AHHH! --- it's 9 o'clock.
So, somehow, five hours lasted five minutes. Nothing got done without a rush.
What just happened? How do you slow it down? Where is Mick Jagger?

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Rise and Shine --- The world as it is

It appears to be a good morning to fly a kite!

It doesn't take much (sometimes) to see the world as it really is or can be.
Take for instance all that much ado about nothing yesterday when President Barack Obama was about to make a speech to school students. I actually saw a parent on morning television saying he would keep his child out of school on the first day as a protest against the school showing Obama's speech.
Now, what exactly is wrong with the president (or anybody really) talking to students about the joys of school.
Do you really think it's the downfall of society? Are some brains really so much jelly they have to 'protest' anything out of Washington?
Truth be told, it's probably a small minority of people who were upset. How come those people get the most play.
I have a theory about all this hubbub. Maybe Fox News gets such high ratings because it's funnier than the Comedy Channel. The comedians (intentional or unintentional) are what get our blood boiling. It's good for water cooler talk and arguing.
Then, thanks to a little dancer, you can easily be brought back to the real world.
Instead of worrying about the 'socialists taking over,' we can step back, see that people are trying to make things better and go along for the ride.
The blither blather can fade away in one fell swoop. Just take a 4-year old girl who wants nothing more than to dance to a ballet class.
If it doesn't give you hope for the future, nothing will.