…at least for as long as it takes to write this post! 😉
**whine alert**
I try to keep a positive attitude and I try to remember that a LOT of people with VF are a LOT sicker than I. And that there are other ailments/diseases that are deadlier and that I’m damned lucky that currently I am responding really, really well to treatment with no dangerous side effects.
But there are a few things about which I feel completely ripped off!
The biggest, of course, is all the family time I missed when I was completely out of commission for ~six weeks.
The other thing is all the singing and performing I’ve had to give up because I lost my voice when I got Valley Fever.
I’m a new barber-shopper (four part harmony) and I joined a fabulous women’s show chorus last fall. It’s a great group of ladies and my good friend from community theater joined right before I did. In fact, she is the reason I joined! I had so much fun attending the weekly rehearsals, carpooling with my friend.  When I got sick, we still had three of our seven performances coming up. I thought I’d miss one. Then it turned into two. And then the third. I’ve missed so many practices I can’t even count. Many of our members are snowbirds and left for their homes in other parts of the country and I didn’t get to say good-bye to them! And I miss all the ladies in our group. Belonging to this group was the first thing I’ve truly done on my own (as in, without anyone else from my family) in my entire adult life, pretty much!
Then there’s community theater. My three oldest children and I had the privelege of performing in Oliver! last summer. I’ve been itching to do another musical ever since. Our community theater’s spring musical was canceled, so I was desperately looking forward to auditioning for The Wiz, which is the summer musical. I did everything I could for my voice (gargles, lemon, salt water, broth, honey, allergy pills of all kinds, home remedies, herbal sprays, rest, trying to work it, etc.) but as days turned into weeks and auditions approached, I was cautiously optimistic but I also had to make myself face reality. I even scheduled an audition, just in case. But I pulled out the night of because I could barely sing (and only in my lower register) and I had to be honest with myself that I was just too fatigued to commit to such a big production with as much challenging dancing as there will be. If I’d been cast, I may have had to drop out.
My kids are in the play and they’re having a ball. My oldest daughter is teaching me the dances just for fun. I think I made the right choice…I know I wouldn’t have the stamina for these rehearsals and that it’s best for me to stay home and rest. I just miss being part of a production and the friendships that are made between cast members and other parents.
Pity party over… 🙂
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