Here Comes the Rain

 

Saturday, March 24, 2012 – Here Comes the Rain

Cooler Temperatures + Daylong Rain = Happy Flowers

Fortunately, the rain didn’t interfere with Saturday’s planned outing.  I took my mother into DC to see Basil Twist’s unusual and innovative production of Stravinsky’s ballet, Petrushka.  What made this production unique was the use of puppets to perform all of the dancing.  Puppets doing ballet???  Yes, before today, I was skeptical, too.  However, the program turned out to be delightful and enchanting.   The puppets were amazingly expressive.  At the end of the performance, the puppeteers (there were three per puppet) showed the audience exactly how they created the illusion of dancing.  And at only 55 minutes, the show was perfect for my mother, whose attention span isn’t quite what it used to be. 

The weather certainly didn’t keep the crowds away from downtown DC today.  Many people were heading to the Tidal Basin to catch one last glimpse of the cherry blossoms or to attend the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which officially started today.  Others may have been on their way to one of several rallies scheduled for Saturday.  And with the museums, theaters, concerts, etc., there’s always something exciting going on around here.  Part of my “problem” now is to avoid being over-zealous about what I’m going to do.  For example, my activities this past week included the Jewish Film Festival, Spamalot, the Matthew Bourne production of Swan Lake, a program at Beth El on the Jewish community in Cuba, and today’s Petrushka.  Yesterday, I ordered tickets for a screening of La Traviata (live from the Met) and I was about to order tickets for an upcoming play at the DCJCC when I hesitated.  It was so tempting, and there was an early booking discount.  But it’s probably not a good idea to put something on the calendar for every single day. 

Another reason why I was so busy recently is that I went back at Annandale High this past week on Monday and Wednesday.  Most of the time, I was assisting in the ESOL drama class.  However, I also spent a short time in an ESOL classroom.  Just seeing Leslie in action there for five minutes, juggling multiple inquiries, problems, and demands for attention, reminded me of what I used to deal with on a regular basis.  How did I ever deal with it?  I immediately realized that I no longer operate at that speed.  I now have the luxury of doing things one at a time and at a more reasonable pace.  Although I enjoyed my time working with the drama students, I felt my stress level rising simply by being in that environment.  I was listening for the bell, rushing through lunch, worrying about getting to the restroom.  After I left (mere seconds before the tornado drill struck), it took me a while to get back to a calm state of mind. 

I’m so glad that there’s nothing on my calendar for Sunday.  I can go to the gym with Elliott, I can work on a photo collage for his birthday celebration, and I can start reading a new book on my Kindle.