Audience participation

Saturday Emma and I went bright and early to her solo ensemble competition.  Maybe I should write it solo and ensemble?  Solo/ensemble?  You know what I mean.

Anyway.

In her warm up Emma struggled to hit her high note.  I could tell by the look on her face that she was shaken.  "You can do it!" I told her.  Her choir teacher had her sing a warm up exercise and purposely had her go four notes above the highest part of Emma's song, just so she could see that she could do it.

But I could tell by the look on my girl's stoic face that she was nervous.  Rattled.

During the performance before Emma's, we were sitting behind the mother and grandmother of the girl singing.  Her grandma mouthed every word the girl was singing.  (Adam does that too.  I think it's adorable.  It is OK to think a grown man is adorable?)

I didn't mouth the words along with Emma when it was her turn, but I realized that every muscle in my body was tensed.  My heart was pounding.  When it was time for the highest high note, I was sitting up so straight that I was practically out of my seat.  If I stretched my body as far as it would go, would that help her hit the note?

She hit her note but I know whatever I was going through in my seat was irrelevant to Emma.  But what can you do?

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

Elizabeth Stone