The Day of Dress Rehearsal

Friday was a 12 hour day at the auditorium. I showed up a couple hours early to help get everything set up (the place was a disaster area... I can't believe we paid money for that place). Dress rehearsals are fun though. The air is full of nervous excitement and all the little ones are so cute in their costumes. And getting the little two year olds in their costumes and on the stage without Momma is a great feat. Some had many tears, but eventually let go of Mom's hand and dared to fly around the stage with all the other little ones. I think those were the proudest of all the moms.

So the day was long, but really fun. I was so tired on the drive home, I thought I would pass out before my head hit the pillow. Of course life always has other plans... on the way home I had called Jonathan to say goodnight when I passed by a group of guys on the sidewalk. In a split second realized one of them had his arms pinned behind his back and was getting punched in the stomach. I could hear them screaming at eachother. Without a second thought I hung up the phone and called 911. It takes longer than I want to get through to an actual person when you call 911 from a cell phone (you have to verify you are making an emergency call before they patch you through). But I made my report and hoped they police could accomplish something.

Seeing that disturbed me. I called Dad and he understood how stressful that must have been for me and sympathized. Seeing violence in the movies, or even on the news is nothing compared to seeing the real thing. I always feel sad that there are people actually capable of that kind of angry hatred and violence. What kind of life must a person have that leads to that...

So the violent image was in my head and not going anywhere. And when my mind is not clear, sleeping is very difficult. I was already anxious enough about getting enough sleep before the big recital. So of course I had a sleepless night. There's nothing like entering one of the biggest days of the year, needing all the energy you can muster, and feeling weak and tired.