Mikey suggested in today’s blog, we write about our best gift. And for tomorrow, a quick note about what went right, or, the optimist’s blog post. For my next trick, I will be combining both in one. Leah mentioned that today was a concert day. In the present state of craziness that our lives sustain, concert weekends surpass all the limits of insanity. In a little over a year, Sam will be joining me in all the foolish splendor. I’m not going to be able to sing a note the first time I see him on the risers with his white shirt and bow tie on. I am quite confident of the fact that there will be many, many tears rolling down my cheeks, and were I to attempt to sing, my voice will completely crack and I will just transform into a heaping mess of emotion. Why?
The greatest gift I’ve ever received is the opportunity to sing. In life, it is a rare thing to find yourself with the ability to do something well. It’s even rarer to be a part of a group that does something exceptionally well.
I started singing when I was eight years old. I’ve never stopped. My voice has carried me across oceans, into some of the most awe inspiring buildings in the entire world. Singing has connected me to history, music, culture, and has shaped me into the person I am today. But most importantly, and I’ve written this before, singing has provided me with the most wonderful friends and family a person could ever ask for.
I met my best friend while singing. My then future wife and I used to do exchange concerts in college. Almost all of my friends I can trace back to singing. Most of them I consider to be extended family. I can think of no greater gift in the world than the prospect of my children having this opportunity before them. And when Sam takes the stage for the first time, it will be the realization of hopes and dreams that I cannot adequately quantify in words.
So what goes right in a weekend where I have to essentially abandon my poor family to spend seemingly countless hours standing on wooden risers, shifting my weight from foot to foot, trying to keep my concentration level up and my voice in tune?
After a successful concert, as the ones we finished earlier tonight, I experience a complete renewal of strength and focus. To witness the reaction of an appreciative audience, to listen to cheers and applause, to see smiles from something that I had a hand in producing? That makes for a good day. And when the rest of my family can join me? That will make for the best of days.
