Birthday Shoppin'

I hate to shop. I can think of nothing more detestable than running from huge department store to mega mall to supergrocery market trying to figure out how to stretch too few dollars into impressive arrays of consumables. Unless of course I am shopping for somebody I really care about. Don't you just find it irresistible to figure out what makes some else's boat float, what will bring that perfect unabashed smile of unexpected delight to someone's face?

Most of the fun is in guessing what they like. You have to think like they think, stand in their shoes, remember little things they have wistfully said, consider their hobbies and pastimes. Its not easy to step out of your own mindset and put on someone else's bonnet, see the world through different eyes. I dragged the boys into my mall stalking, enlisting their unwilling aid in anticipating what the birthday person might enjoy.

At first, they just gave blithe answers - "sure, whatever." Translation: I am not interested in this. I would rather be home watching a movie. Or eating. Or both. I persist. Really, do you think she would like this? They blink at me, stunned that I am expecting them to think. After a few tentative remarks, they begin to get into the game.

The first few questions were no brainers. What's her favorite color? Butterdish Blue! Everyone knows that. (If you had been there when they built their house, you would have heard the conversation when paint colors were being decided. She tried to describe the particular tint of blue she wanted, and finally picked up the butter dish - this color!) Has it changed recently? Hum. Not sure. I recall that she is collecting cranberry glassware, certainly not a blue hue. There was a conversation about repainting the bathroom, and I'm pretty sure blue was not part of the discussion. Maybe we have not been paying attention.

Does she like chocolate? Stupid question! Has to be a small amount so she won't break out. Make sure its of a particularly excellent quality - something she wouldn't get for herself, a treat. And she's a tea lover, see what you can find to enhance her tea drinking experience. What else does she like? What have you heard her say lately?

The boys rack their brains. "I don't know. You know her better than we do. You tell us." I hold up a plaque - would she like this? No, it doesn't seem to fit her. What about this one? Maybe. Not quite right. A card with flowers on the front? Nice. Roses or sunflowers? Lilies or a whole bouquet of mixed flowers? TOO MANY DECISIONS!!!

I can see the boys are wearing thin. We switch stores and begin the process again. We had the most fun in the candle store. The two towering athletes excitedly explored the scents of all the candles, causing the salesclerk angst since you aren't supposed to open the jars to sniff (right - how do they expect people to discover what they like?).

Two hours later, we finally tear ourselves away from the mall, an armload of little gifts dangling in fancy bags from our hands. At home, I examine each treasure as I wrap them, wondering if she will like stuff, if we hit the mark or if we guessed wrong. Shopping is no fun unless you are engaged in bringing pleasure to someone else. It makes you jump into the head of someone you care about, makes you realize you might not have been paying enough attention, maybe you need to spend more time with them now and not rely on how they were a year ago - or back when you were a child. After all, people change. Ya gotta keep up. If you care. And we do.

Worn Out

All this midnight training and 7am opening of the library has me plumb worn out. I have learned not to push this hard, so I purposely make sure I take mid day breaks, go home, rest up, not over extend. In the old days, I would have just kept going until I dropped (I could hold out longer then). But perhaps my gray hair has actually resulted in a bit of wisdom.

Still, resting in the middle of the day is not the same as keeping regular hours, getting to bed at a decent time, having uninterrupted sleep. My whole system is objecting. My head aches, my throat is raw, my voice raspy, my stomach churning, and most of all, my glands glanding. I know the odd hours will end soon. It is a blip on the radar soon to be long forgotten.

I marvel that I can even attempt this week long push, marvel that I don't collapse as I would have even a year ago. My body is recovering. The joy of knowing that I am created in such a marvelous way as to withstand not only the damage of the horrible disease but also the toxicity of the treatment amazes me.

Truly, I am one of the fortunate ones. So many I know have succumbed to the ravages of disease and/or drugs. I am blessed by the efforts of groups like the Lance Armstrong Foundation who are raising awareness, money, and resources for research and assistance. A time will come, I have no doubt, when cancer will no longer be the death sentence it used to be. Someday it will go the way of polio and whooping cough - a rare incidence here and there, an outbreak in a third world country, totally preventable and treatable.

Meanwhile, today I am thankful that the week of long hours is done and I have not only survived, I have progressed!

First Rehearsal

Over the summer, I had read through hundreds of new choral scores, talked with other church choir directors, attended other church services, explored ideas about improving worship, met with the pastor and the pianist to discuss the fall services, ordered materials, studied voice, collected vocal warm up exercises, and bought my previous voice teacher's new book. I had charted a plan to improve vocal techniques, especially targeting the more mature singer, and practiced!

Still, I felt not quite ready for our first rehearsal of the church year. I wanted desperately to make our time together fun and enjoyable as well as productive. Our opening pieces were a bit more challenging than I usually select for season start-up, but they went well with what the Pastor would be preaching about. It would be a challenging year since our pianist had given his notice and we would be looking for a new accompanist.

I gathered my lesson plan, music folder, CD, and hymnal and boldly entered the sanctuary. People were already gathering, and there was a certain buzz in the air, an excitement I hoped would last a long time. I was delighted to see so many people - both last year's members and a few new faces. We had to set up some more chairs - how delightful! We stretched to an upbeat version of Psalm 23, buzz lip trills, stretched our vocal cords, and sang some thirds, all in preparation for diving into our opening song of the season.

The time flew by. Before I knew it, an hour and a half had evaporated. It felt good to be working on music again, learning notes, getting the sense of the song, feeling the music, becoming the song. It is a good thing to sing praise unto the Lord! Especially with people you know and love.