Kelty had the dress rehearsal last night for her first-ever ballet recital. She was a sparkly blue snowflake and was most excited that real make-up was required. From the grown-ups who actually did pirouettes to the three-year-olds who shuffled on stage as little angels, the dress rehearsal was the place to practice. To iron out the details. To cue the music and figure out the lighting. To give instructions about where to stand and when to enter. And if a mistake was made that was big enough, the director’s hand went up, the music was cut, and the dancers got a do-over–with more instruction, more practice, and more time to get it just right.
And watching the process of the dress rehearsal reminded me of a quote in a book I just finished last night. It’s a novel about the journey a young mom takes during her first year as a widow. One of the quotes the author wrote really pierced me, and it has been circulating my heart over the past three days. The main character in the novel had just blown it with one of her kids, missed their hearts and lashed out in anger. And in the quiet of children sleeping that evening, she writes something like, “And I am learning that there are no do-overs. Especially in the things that really matter.”
And it struck me as I watched my daughter dance last night that life isn’t like a ballet recital. There are no dress rehearsals, where mistakes are ironed out and where it’s okay if you blow it, because you can always stop the music and try again. And true, recitals are events that only take place maybe twice a year, whereas moments that matter surface countless times in a mere day, but it is still a reality that makes me want to:
kiss my husband more passionately,
stop cleaning and play pretend with my kids,
turn off the tv and talk,
embrace a move to a foreign land,
and hold my tongue when anger begins to creep in.
Because life doesn’t give you do-overs. And gratefully, our days on earth offer us many opportunities to right our mistakes, but here’s to hoping I remember that today is not a dress rehearsal for something bigger or better in the future. Today is it, and I better be focusing on the things that matter.
Thankfully for the budding ballerinas, though, the dress rehearsal does exist. And for my family who won’t get to see the real show tonight, here’s Kelty’s debut. . .
Kelty’s Dress Rehearsal 2009 from laura parker on Vimeo.
ALifeOverseas.com / LauraParkerBlog.com.
Destined Traveler.
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Thank you for that rehearsal write-up. You are so right about the things in life that matter don't get dress rehearsals, but if we remember the director's instruction (Christ), in our moment of mess ups we can make it right the next time. How refreshing.
Thank you for that video, it was so much fun for me to re see it after a few days. How precious!
I want to quote your post in my blog. It can?
And you et an account on Twitter?