That is to say I think I just figured out why I LOVED The Lion King so much. It was more than a fantastic show. As promised, here’s more of my review of the show.
If you’ve been reading anything of mine you know I’m a bit of a balance freak. I like balance. When I started my series of shared tips it bore the name “Simple Balance.” Yeah, I’m a freak that way. Well, guess what this musical has? You guessed it, loads and loads of balance!
Before you go thinking I’ve completely lost my marbles…which is always a possibility…let me expound. I’ve been in theatre and as a theatre lover I’ve seen several shows in various places. One of the great challenges drama teachers and producers face is finding shows and productions that provide equal opportunity and as much of it as possible to those interested. Specifically, female roles can be hard to come by. In high school we did one major musical each year and a couple other smaller productions in each trimester. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was done my sophomore year and it was probably the best in those years for balanced roles and opportunities. The next year it was Shenandoah and the year after that was Hello Dolly. Both of those only included about 3 female speaking parts/roles. It’s tough to be the supporting cast with only a few lead roles. And there always seem to be more women competing for roles than men, at least in my experience. But The Lion King broke all the rules and barriers.
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It’s a part of life. There are just going to be times when difficulties and disputes arise. We’re human. How we handle them largely defines our experiences, personalities and success. Sometimes I think one of the great purposes and challenges of life is to learn how to channel and control our emotions. To act instead of react. Anger is only one letter short of danger and for good reason. It is also too often the companion to discord.
Shortly after I was married, my husband and I learned a valuable lesson about conflict resolution. It was all thanks to his red Grand Prix and the local Pontiac dealership. Although it was only a year old and purchased new, it was obvious that it’s true color was lemon yellow. Consequently, we became all too familiar with the service garage at the local dealership. Timing was always lousy. Of course, there probably isn’t a good time financially for a young newlywed couple just starting out and being in school. But that blasted car kept every chance of keeping our heads above water a challenge. Don’t even get me started on the month we survived on potatoes and Corn Flakes. Oh the memories. Anyway, I digress.
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Amazing how much they can grow in a few years!
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I have to give a shout out to my little Cidderbug today. The progress this kiddo has made in the past 3 years is astounding to me. Sometimes I feel bad for her that no one really knows what she’s up against or how hard some things are for her. Her great advantage and disadvantage is that to an unknowing eye she appears to be exactly like everyone else around her. But there are subtle differences in the way she processes information that makes some learning and social skills extremely difficult for her. She has been making steady progress and working hard but many assume she simply isn’t trying hard enough. Above all, she reminds me daily how much I take for granted and how amazing differences can truly be.
Yesterday we took her to get the earned reward of her first cell phone. This was a VERY big deal and something she’s been working hard for. She’s still too young for a phone and we’ve given a flat no response for the past two years - yes, she’s been consistently begging for two years now. But this summer my husband said he thought we could use this to our advantage and maybe we should consider it. The original deal was that she had to learn all her times tables this summer to earn it. She’s worked hard and has been doing well only struggling with some of the higher numbers, but it was her excellent behavior on our vacation that earned her the trip to the cell phone store yesterday. She didn’t know that was a possibility and generally was unaware of just how well she had done our trip so it was a doubly sweet surprise for her. There are probably more restrictions than privileges with it right now, but she’s still delighted. She can’t do anything now that she couldn’t do before but it’s totally different in her mind. And for $9 a month, mom and dad just got a new lease on discipline tactics/incentives. More on that program later.
I still have my moments when I feel exhausted and wonder/worry if she’ll ever conquer some of the gaps. But I cannot, should not and will not ignore the amazing progress she has made in the past three years. In so many ways she is like a different kid. The creative side of her is blossoming now. She’s become very intrigued by art and continues to be an amazing improviser. She has a free mind and I’m so proud of her for becoming less and less swayed by peer pressure. She is truly becoming her own person and it’s a beautiful thing. I wish I could describe the development I’ve seen. It’s not unlike the transformation of the caterpillar to a butterfly in my mind. I just want her to know that mom is aware of how far she’s come, how hard she works every day and how proud I am of her for all that she is and all that she is becoming. Keep flying my little butterfly. Keep flying.
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A few months ago my Olympus C-60 took one too many hits to the floor. This was the replacement model we bought and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it.
It’s very close to the old one I had so less learning curve for me but the additional features proved more than worth their weight in gold on our trip. I loved not worrying about the weather elements so much. But that stabilizer feature…W.O.W. You can’t really appreciate these photos at the level I can because you didn’t experience the amazing ride on the tour bus where most were taken from. Suffice it to say it wasn’t far off the Harry Potter experience with the Knight Bus. Most of the time I just held up my camera and hit the button hoping something besides a blur or jostle would turn out as catching something at a stoplight was rare indeed. Lucky for me, every shot turned out! Here’s just a few I was really happy with:
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I was going through some of the last photos of our trip and this one jumped out at me. We’re home now and although the trip has come to an end life hasn’t. It’s back to reality and the grind for me…too bad because this vacation was truly awesome for me!
So I was thinking of a title for this post and the ideas of “All Good Things Must Come To An End” came to mind but it sounded kind of grim because more good things await every day. Then I saw this photo and thought of a gazillion titles that could be related to our vacation and life in general. For instance:
Don’t be a square! Life is circular. Logan Square is called a square but it’s actually a giant circle with a large fountain in the middle. Go figure on the name.
Racing to fun. Life feels like a race. This is most of the time very accurate for me and most days it’s more of a rat race…unfortunately often I feel the rats are winning!
Vacations are a one way ticket! Life is full of directions. There’s a right way to live and be happy. Several others came to mind too. Funny how such a simple concept of when to turn and what direction to go can expound like that.
And of course the final sign. Life is full of stops. My vacation just came to a stop but there will be a new one another time. This of course has a million other implications too.
So what a funny thing to have so much come from one simple photo of street signs! What hit you?
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Well, it’s Friday and time for the final stretch of our vacation. This week at the beach house has been heavenly (especially as they have wireless access for me!) but I suppose all good things must come to an end. We’re off to Philadelphia for a few days.
Time flies when you’re having fun!
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I’m always amazed at how different my two kids can be. This morning we took them to a waterpark. Tay gravitated toward the water mechanic toys and played there for a long time getting everything just right. (Note the concentration tongue at work.)
Cidnie on the other hand went for the photo shoot area and put on a show for me and all who would watch.
They really never cease to amaze me.
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