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We’re supposed to be practicing for the performance, together!
Do you ever have one of those dreams, when you rush from place to place, knowing something’s supposed to happen and yet have no power to move it forward?
Dream time invited me to a high school. I walked from classroom to classroom with an urgent mission. The school-wide performance was right around the corner and my job was to gather everyone together to practice our parts.
I started by searching for the vocalists. When I found them in various places, I kept signaling, come sing with me, we need to practice.
But they couldn’t see me. Went on with their regular activities, oblivious to the pending event.
My anxiety elevated; how can the performance possibly be perfect if we don’t work together? Won’t we make mistakes, miss the notes and be off on our timing?
Probably.
Most certainly.
In some rooms, I saw diligent students and teachers, crouched over laptops, the glow of the Internet lighting their faces.
In another room, there were hundreds of violinists. Tall, short, all nationalities, all genders. Some still trying to get their violin out of the case, with others chatting with their classmates or tuning up. I left with the echo of discordance ringing in my ears.
