THE TUTU

Today, I wore a tutu around the house. Just because I could.  Why should the little girls across the street have all the fun?

The scary thing is that my husband, Duncan, and the dogs, didn't even notice.  For them, it was just business as usual.  I consider that a compliment. The mailman, however, was another story.  He looked at me as if I'd lost my mind.  Which I had, thankfully.  

At one point, while standing, resplendent, surrounded by pink tulle, my mind wandered back to the time when my youngest son, Peter, was taking piano lessons.  He told Duncan and me that he didn't want to practice anymore.  We never forced him, but decided to let him ride it out. After a few weeks, however, the situation started to look bleak.  The keys remained silent.  

So I came up with a solution.  I bought a pair of ballet slippers.  Bubble gum pink, and enveloped in pure silk. With long ribboned laces that flowed through my fingertips and wound around my ankles with grace and flair.  When I put them on, I felt like stardust personified.  They were splendid.  Plus, for whatever reason, when I wore them, I felt tall, which was purely delusional and really very sad.

Then, one evening, I asked Peter to play my favorite Chopin nocturne, so I could dance.  And he did.  I can still hear the long, tender notes, and feel my arms swirling, gracefully (or so I thought) above my head.  I've never taken ballet, and I knew I'd bought the wrong size slippers, but none of that mattered.  I rose to my tiptoes, twirled in never ending circles, and smiled.  My heart was full.  There I was, with my son, whom I treasured more than life itself, sharing the joy of just being together.  For a few precious moments, he and I were in perfect sync, and life was just right.  There in my living room, time stood still.  

As I've gotten older, I've come to realize that ballet slippers and a tutu can teach great lessons.  Each day, you can wake up and be buffeted by the chaotic winds of life.  Or you can embrace the ordinary moments that make life extraordinary.  Dressed in ridiculous splendor and feeling 10' tall.

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