Humility

I don't suppose that I meant to, but I've felt less than whole for the last week and just couldn't come up with any interesting words to put on a page! Here's hoping that turns around quickly!

Last night was the final SingOmaha concert for the season and it was pretty amazing. We performed some terrific literature. If you haven't been to a concert, you need to make an effort. This choir rocks! And you will hear gorgeous choral music performed with very high standards. We'll be back in the fall and just remember, if you aren't coming to these concerts, you're missing something special.

I managed to totally embarrass myself, though. This cold that has wiped me out for the last 6 days? Well ... it got me. I had been dosing on Dayquil to get through the concerts without coughing. Because from my high school years, I have had trouble with this cold. This one settles into my chest and I get terrible coughing spasms. Knowing this, I tried my best to prepare for and avert this. I failed.

I felt terrific - we had gotten to the final piece on the concert - a 5 movement work and we were in the middle of the last movement when I felt the tickle in my throat. I was totally stuck at the piano and there was absolutely nothing I can do to fix it. I had a bottle of water sitting there, so managed to get the top of the water and grab it to soothe the throat. I even looked up to heaven and said, "Really God! I've only got 5 more pages, can you help me here?" Obviously He didn't think that was going to happen. I was coughing and spluttering ... yes, it was gross, spurting tears out of my eyes and snot out of my nose while trying to suppress the cough. Sucking down water ... all the time playing, turning pages, and I freakin' managed to not lose a beat and got all of the notes played.

We made it to the end. I knew that the audience had been watching me ... worrying ... and I knew that I was done - I needed to explode with coughing. I acknowledged the director and the audience and bolted out of there. I wanted to die! Somehow I managed to take the attention away from this beautiful piece of music. All I could think was that if I had been behind the choir, no one would have seen me and I could have just suffered by myself ...

Oh well ... sigh. I simply know that humility is mine to be had at the most inopportune times.

Humility. You know ... I've discovered that is the best thing to keep a person's head on straight. The ability to laugh at oneself and acknowledge that we are less than perfect. As soon as we do that, we discover that the earth continues to revolve, people still love us, and God is still God. It's good to come to that place in the world.