Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2007. Mattie was five years old! Truthfully it was such a special age! Mattie loved his kindergarten, he had conquered his sensory integration issues and he was developing into an amazing little person. Mattie's teachers always described him as an 'old soul' and a very loyal friend. Quite a set of compliments at such a tender age. This was one of the many fall festival photos that I love! Mattie was in his element outside and I learned to appreciate these experiences. In all reality even the mundane was an adventure with Mattie!
Quote of the day: We do not remember days, we remember moments. ~ Cesare Pavese
For the past week, whenever I turn on the radio in the morning, I hear advertisements for the ballet, Onegin, playing at the Kennedy Center. Before I moved to this house, we lived in Foggy Bottom, and the Kennedy Center was our next door neighbor! Truthfully it was the best location, as I LOVED going to the theatre. This is one of the many things I had to say good-bye to when I moved to the suburbs. As attending the ballet and musicals was something that to me made life worth living.
When we first moved to DC in 1994 (from Boston), I wanted to get a ballet subscription. We had one in Boston, and I wanted to continue to support this amazing art form. Anyone who is familiar with getting a subscription knows its a game. The first several years, you can not get the seats you want, which for me were front and center. You have to get into the system and work your way to these seats. When we left Boston, I was saddened because I had to say good-bye to our amazing seats (that took years to get) and the Boston Ballet. Up until that point, I have always lived in a city that had its own ballet company. Washington, DC is a bit different. Instead they bring in companies from all over the USA and internationally.
I will never forget the Boston Ballet performed Eugene Onegin. It was part of our ballet subscription that year. Honestly I had never heard of it, to me it sounded obscure. That was until I saw it! It is a ballet that in my opinion is rarely performed. Which is unfortunate. I have only seen it once in my lifetime, but it made such an impression on me, that I said to myself..... if it ever comes my way again, we have to see it.... and here it is at the Kennedy Center. Given my caregiving circumstances, I am not going to see it, and then of course all I can remember is who I shared my ballet subscriptions with and.... that saddens me to the core.
Onegin is the timeless story of FIRST LOVE and LOST LOVE! A story that actually is even more poignant for me now. Onegin is based on Alexander Pushkin's novel Eugene Onegin. The story follows the unrequited love of Tatiana for the cynical aristocrat Onegin, who rejects her, flirts with her sister Olga, and kills Olga's fiancé, Lensky, in a duel. Years later, a now-sophisticated Tatiana rejects the lovesick Onegin, making for a tragic tale of love at the wrong time.
I mention Onegin, because if it comes to your neck of the woods.... go see it! It is unforgettable and I deeply admire the dedication, incredible discipline, and the countless hours of practice dancers put into this art form. I guess I have a soft spot for ballet because my mom enrolled me in both ballet and tap when I was probably five years old. By the time I was in middle school, I was practicing ballet three or four times of week in NY City. I trained at the American Ballet Theatre and in 9th grade even won (through a competition) a four year college scholarship to study modern dance at SUNY Purchase. Dancing was a big part of my life and one I loved sharing with my other half.
However, even something as lovely as dance, has been clouded over in my mind and heart. Now when I hear an innocent commercial on the radio for the ballet, what happens is I see my life flash before my eyes and I just can't believe the tragic tale is NOT something I am watching BUT instead living.
No comments:
Post a Comment