Savoring What is Good

I wanted to save this moment in time.  I wanted to hold onto it for a while as I savored the sweetness of its fleeting preciousness.  I wanted to indulge myself in the great feelings that come with observing someone you love as they practice something which they feel great passion for.  I wanted to isolate the present.

Over the years, I have watched many a Shakespeare play in which my Angel Daughter Number One has acted.  Shakespearean theater is very difficult to perform and is even more difficult to understand.  It takes a certain kind of actor to be able to pull it off, yet my daughter does so with talent and grace.  At the beginning of this school year, AD1 auditioned for something known as Guerilla Shakespeare.  I had no idea what the concept behind this was until she explained it to me.  At first, I had visions of people running around in gorilla costumes reciting Shakespeare.  Obviously I was incorrect.(Silly Mommy!)  Guerilla Shakespeare, from what I now understand, is a troupe of actors who go out into public places and perform Shakespeare.  No sets, no costumes, few props.  The actors perform, usually outdoors, and the audience follows them around for the length of the play.  My daughter told me that this form of theater is more common in London.  It is quite challenging for reasons which you can imagine, and so it was a very good experience for my daughter and the other actors who participated.  

The play that was being performed was, A Midsummer Night's Dream.  AD1 played the part of Helena, a beautiful woman who is shunned by the man whom she is attracted to.  He is so cruel and dismissive of her that she loses her self-confidence.
In this photo, Helena is professing her love for Demetrius.  Although the audience cannot be seen from this photo, there were approximately sixty people in attendance.  After snapping this photo, I refrained from taking too many more because I wanted to be able to fully enjoy the play.  It was fun to observe the reactions of people who just happened to be walking by and then found themselves in the middle of a play!  AD1 did a fantastic job with her part.  I am always amazed by her ability to convey the personality of whatever character she is portraying.  The bug of acting bit her at a very young and it has remained with her ever since.   
After the show, we spent some time chatting with AD1.  She was pretty exhausted because she has finals coming up, so we didn't stay for too long.  Thank goodness, there is always time to pose for a photo!  Here are my four angels and AD1 and AD2's boyfriends.  You might recognize The Cheesemeister from some of my previous posts.  AD2's boyfriend, J, is standing next to her on the right.  They have been dating since she was a freshman.  I have watched them grow up together.(and he knows that I have no problem keeping him in line!)

The more that we experience life, the more we realize how important it is to savor the happy times that we get to share with each other.  I have been blessed in so many ways.  I can accept that this is a time in my life when I will sometimes be forced to smile through my tears.  I am learning to love a little bit more than I did the day before, and to savor things that may have quickly gotten by me in the past.  I am learning to slow down and to feel my emotions as they arise.  Savoring what is good means holding onto the sweetness of life for as long as we can.

May you allow yourself the chance to savor all that is right and good in your life.