A few weeks ago PBS showed a recording of the Broadway play “Passing Strange.” Bear and I both really love musical theater, but we don’t get to go much anymore, and we certainly don’t get to see something new and groundbreaking like “Passing Strange.” We’re happy and grateful when we get to see the occasional touring company of something. Having a performance filmed and aired on PBS is such a treat.
I watched it a while back when I had a rare day home with Atti. I nestled into the couch with my knitting and tossed some toys around for Atti to crawl back and forth between and entertain himself, but I don’t think he touched them once.
The moment the music started, Atti was transfixed. He watched the entire thing with me, absolutely mesmerized.
I’ve turned out to be a little bit of a late bloomer, and I’ve often wished I had more chances for education. I’ve wondered aloud many times, How did Michael Jordan find out he was Michael Jordan? What if Tiger Woods never picked up a golf club? Maybe there’s a skill buried in me that is waiting to be discovered, and I could be really good if only I gave it a try. But since there are a million and a half things to do in this world, who ever gets around to trying it all? I guess there has to be some magical moment when the talented person sees something for the first time and feels called to it.
I don’t think I’ll be terribly surprised to think back on that day, to re-read this blog post, and see that this is where it all started.