Something Good
You know what, despite all the material that the current premier of this province has given me over the past few days, I am not going to bite.
Today.
We will see what Monday brings us.
Instead, we are going to talk about something that brings me joy.
As some of you may know, my daughter is a dancer. She dances pretty much any time she stands still. And she dances competitively. When she was smaller we had her in gymnastics. After about a year, when it came time to sign her up for the next group of classes she told me that she didn't want to do it anymore. So we went on the hunt for the next activity. Around the same time, we attended a dinner as a part of the charitable organization that we belong to.
At that dinner, we saw an Irish Dance group perform. After the performance, I looked up the academy and emailed them to ask how we could bring my daughter out to check it out. Turns out they offered two free classes, so we signed her up. The following class night we headed out. I should mention that when I told her what we had signed her up for she was not what I would call thrilled. But she went and I waited outside for the 90 minutes to see what she would think.
I watched her walk back to the car and from the look on her face, I couldn't tell whether this was going to work. She got in the car and as I pulled away I asked how it went. I was expecting a quiet good, or to be told she wouldn't be going back. Instead, she turned to me and said: "Did you know that they compete? With trophies?"
It was the opposite of what I was expecting. I am not a competitive person, on games nights and the like I am always just happy to be there. Turns out part of what she didn't like at gymnastics was that she was never going to be given the chance to compete.
So back to now, this weekend for the first time in a few years she gets to compete again. The Irish Dance community calls their competitions "Feis'", and we are going to one this weekend. There have been virtual feis' and a couple of in-person, but with all the rules and the low numbers of competitors, it hasn't felt right. Only one parent has been allowed to attend, and it just hasn't been as much fun without my partner in crime.
The last feis we went to was the weekend before the world changed before we knew what was to come. This weekend is bringing within in another return to the routine, she will get to spend some time in her community and maybe even win some medals, but mostly she gets to do her favorite thing, dance. And she gets to return to competing. She is an amazing person to compete against. She is supportive and cheers everyone on. Not to say she doesn't care about where she places, she very much does. But she only competes against herself.
My joy comes from watching her do what she loves, and making her laugh when she is too hard on herself. She gets the eye of the tiger when she is on stage, and it is something she is proud of herself for. even though she can become a stress case when we are getting ready, and the days before the feis can be a nightmare, it is worth it. And I am happy that she is getting the chance to get back at it. Even if I will never be a "Dance Mom" (I don't own any Lululemon, my hair is wrong, I don't think my daughter is the only one who matters, and I don't drink enough) I am glad we get to do this together.
Music Corner
If your kid has been in the band, choir, theatre, or anything similar, then you know my pain. There are a few songs that the teachers seem to love, and in my case, two in particular that you will hear EVERY SHOW. And then almost every day when your kid is practicing. It's a good thing I like them. One is Nancy Mulligan by Ed Sheeran, and then there is the one that I am going to share with you today. Something Wild is a beautiful song by Lindsey Sterling featuring singer Andrew McMahon.
In learning more about the song, turns out that it was featured in the remake of the Disney film Pete's Dragon. It was used in the commercials as well as over the end credits. The song was released in 2016.
Shopping Corner
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