Thursday, March 15, 2007
Now this is for sure true!
"It is wise to direct your anger towards problems - not people; to focus your energies on answers - not excuses. — William Arthur Ward
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Doesn't Every Princess have an umbrella to match her Prom Dress?
Clang, Clang, Clang went the trolley . . . Ring, ring, ring went the bell, zing, zing, zing went my heart strings!
I woke up this morning, as I so often do, thinking about my Princess Daughter. Are you wondering why that song would start playing in my head when thinking about my her? Well, because, it was the very first time I saw her take something on that she wanted and work like crazy to get it. Here's the story. Laran was in the 10th grade, crazy high school years, trying out for "officer" of the dance team, a very coveted position. The criteria for tryouts was to dance an original dance, created on your own to the music of your choice, an interview by a panel of judges and to create and dance a dance to 8 counts of a song chosen by the dance director, with the props also chosen by the director. Night after night, I was in captivity in my room (I wasn't allowed to watch her process) while Laran turned the dining room into a dance studio. If I heard that song once, I heard it a thousand times (she only had 3 days to perfect those clang, clang, clangs, Thank God many more clangs and I would have been clanging myself in the head). I wasn't worried about her original dance and certainly not her interview, but that Clang, Clang, Clang thing?????? How is she going to dance to that song? Laran wasn't the strongest dancer on the team and probably not the best politician (something required to be really good in that kind of interview setting), but I knew she would be ok with those things. But what about that clang, clang, clang thing and those props! The day of the tryouts, the only people allowed in the room were the dancers, the judges and the director. The mothers were gathered outside in the courtyard, pacing, chain smoking and wringing their hand. As if trying out wasn’t enough to deal with, all the girls trying out were close friends and there were only 3 spots, some were not going to make it! The horror, the horror! As each girl finished her interview, dance and the 8 count clang, clang, clang, they had to leave the tryout room. Girls that I knew to be either stronger dancers or better politicians then Laran were coming out of that room either throwing up in the bushes or crying their eyes out. The stress of it all completely destroying them. Making it or not making it would determine how the next year looked for them. I'm wringing my hands, thinking to myself, oh my gosh, if these girls are throwing up and crying, Laran will have to be hospitalized (she had been living on Pepto Bismol for weeks, poor thing, she has my Daddy’s tummy, her stress lands there)!
Then it happened, out she came, bag casually thrown over her shoulder, head held high, a smile on her face. I'm looking at her in complete amazement, she was the very picture of Grace and Poise!!!! It's one of the few times my child actually rendered me speechless. I looked at her with a questioning look on my face and she said "I worked as hard as I could, I did the best I could do and that's all that I can do! If I make it great, if I don't, I'll be ok with it because I know I did my best!" Since that day, whenever I know she's facing a tough time or trying to get somewhere she wants to go, or when she has lot's on her plate, or her mother's calling asking her to "be" there for someone else, I see her coming out of that door, bag casually thrown over her shoulder, head held high, the picture of Grace and Poise. And, in my head, I hear, Clang, clang, clang with the trolley . . . because I know that whatever it is, she will get through it with Grace and Poise!
Are you wondering if she was one of the three that “made it”? Absolutely she was! And, I was the MC at the Presentation Banquet that year. Open the envelope please! I had to stand in front of all those girls and all those parents and announce who had made it, without being totally sure that she had. I announced her name and presented her with her Officer Bar!
Zing, Zing, Zing go my heart strings everytime I think about the Princess and her Poise and Grace! The Princess has always given me a reason to believe in Serendipity! Thank you Princess for always being my special Grace!
I woke up this morning, as I so often do, thinking about my Princess Daughter. Are you wondering why that song would start playing in my head when thinking about my her? Well, because, it was the very first time I saw her take something on that she wanted and work like crazy to get it. Here's the story. Laran was in the 10th grade, crazy high school years, trying out for "officer" of the dance team, a very coveted position. The criteria for tryouts was to dance an original dance, created on your own to the music of your choice, an interview by a panel of judges and to create and dance a dance to 8 counts of a song chosen by the dance director, with the props also chosen by the director. Night after night, I was in captivity in my room (I wasn't allowed to watch her process) while Laran turned the dining room into a dance studio. If I heard that song once, I heard it a thousand times (she only had 3 days to perfect those clang, clang, clangs, Thank God many more clangs and I would have been clanging myself in the head). I wasn't worried about her original dance and certainly not her interview, but that Clang, Clang, Clang thing?????? How is she going to dance to that song? Laran wasn't the strongest dancer on the team and probably not the best politician (something required to be really good in that kind of interview setting), but I knew she would be ok with those things. But what about that clang, clang, clang thing and those props! The day of the tryouts, the only people allowed in the room were the dancers, the judges and the director. The mothers were gathered outside in the courtyard, pacing, chain smoking and wringing their hand. As if trying out wasn’t enough to deal with, all the girls trying out were close friends and there were only 3 spots, some were not going to make it! The horror, the horror! As each girl finished her interview, dance and the 8 count clang, clang, clang, they had to leave the tryout room. Girls that I knew to be either stronger dancers or better politicians then Laran were coming out of that room either throwing up in the bushes or crying their eyes out. The stress of it all completely destroying them. Making it or not making it would determine how the next year looked for them. I'm wringing my hands, thinking to myself, oh my gosh, if these girls are throwing up and crying, Laran will have to be hospitalized (she had been living on Pepto Bismol for weeks, poor thing, she has my Daddy’s tummy, her stress lands there)!
Then it happened, out she came, bag casually thrown over her shoulder, head held high, a smile on her face. I'm looking at her in complete amazement, she was the very picture of Grace and Poise!!!! It's one of the few times my child actually rendered me speechless. I looked at her with a questioning look on my face and she said "I worked as hard as I could, I did the best I could do and that's all that I can do! If I make it great, if I don't, I'll be ok with it because I know I did my best!" Since that day, whenever I know she's facing a tough time or trying to get somewhere she wants to go, or when she has lot's on her plate, or her mother's calling asking her to "be" there for someone else, I see her coming out of that door, bag casually thrown over her shoulder, head held high, the picture of Grace and Poise. And, in my head, I hear, Clang, clang, clang with the trolley . . . because I know that whatever it is, she will get through it with Grace and Poise!
Are you wondering if she was one of the three that “made it”? Absolutely she was! And, I was the MC at the Presentation Banquet that year. Open the envelope please! I had to stand in front of all those girls and all those parents and announce who had made it, without being totally sure that she had. I announced her name and presented her with her Officer Bar!
Zing, Zing, Zing go my heart strings everytime I think about the Princess and her Poise and Grace! The Princess has always given me a reason to believe in Serendipity! Thank you Princess for always being my special Grace!
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
I listened. . .
I had a rousing conversation with my sister, Rufus, over the weekend. One in which we, at times, had to simply agree to disagree. Being so much alike yet so very different, sometimes the conversations we have, that reveal our differences leave us both at a place of "is it possible that we could feel so different and love each other so much?" Absolutely! Not long after that phone conversation ended, I got another call from her, telling me how she was going to spend the rest of her day, she said, "Before I do this, I need to know if we are ok?" My response, "Absolutely, I'm right, you're wrong, it's all good!" She laughed, I laughed, we hung up and we went on with our day, loving each other all the more!
It's truly never about the "fight" for me, it's about the "inquiry" which sometimes causes fiery words from me and others. Even with "fiery" words, detaching from those that are in the inquiry isn't an option, detaching from those that are in the "fight" is sometimes the only answer!
"Those that fight, can't ever seem to listen; those that listen, don't ever need to fight."
-- Fritz Perls
It's a miraculous ride we're on Rufus and . . . I Love You Madly!
It's truly never about the "fight" for me, it's about the "inquiry" which sometimes causes fiery words from me and others. Even with "fiery" words, detaching from those that are in the inquiry isn't an option, detaching from those that are in the "fight" is sometimes the only answer!
"Those that fight, can't ever seem to listen; those that listen, don't ever need to fight."
-- Fritz Perls
It's a miraculous ride we're on Rufus and . . . I Love You Madly!
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