Happies (Part 1)

Well, yesterday was shit.

I won't go into the how's and why's. Just believe me when I say that from about 8:00am until about 6:15 pm, it was a day of stress, self-doubt, headaches, and general craziness.

But this blog post is about Happies, not Sads, Bads, Crazies or Shitties. And my evening really was quite a fantastic turn-around, because Chorale started up again.

It's hard to believe that it was a whole year ago that I nervously tried out for Chorale, and wondered if I would have a chance ("You're in like Flynn!" said Ted, our esteemed director, after a successful audition) at being part of the group. That evening I joined 100 voices, ranging in age from teens to geriatric. It's mostly leaning towards the 60-and-older crowd. And I love every one of them. Even the Costume Dragon.

Last night, after such a crap, shitty day, in which I dealt with stress and heard the news of the death of Patrick Swayze (another childhood icon...gone), I stepped into our rehearsal place and instantly felt--home.

Warm smiles greeted me, with cries of, "You're back!" and "You have a job still!" The Costume Dragon said, "Well look at you, you're trimming down!" There were smiles, hugs, and a rush to trade stories from the long, hot summer. The one phrase I uttered the most was a simple, "I'm so happy to be back."

And I am.

We jumped right in. We're doing a Handel piece and a Hayden piece for our first concert (no need for Haydn, we've got a Handel on it!) in October--they're not technically difficult, but they are demanding. I mean demanding. I'd forgotten just how much stamina it takes to sing soprano for two-and-a-half hours. My breath control is still strong, but oh, those high G's and A's do start to take their toll. No B's or B-flat's in sight yet, but I'm sure they will emerge at some point.

Our Esteemed Director was his usual happy, energetic, passionate self. He is really the best choir director I've worked with yet--there is no meanness and he is very rarely cranky with us. But he demands excellence and we willingly give him our very best.

Sometimes I moan about being out a bit late on a Monday night, and I certainly get caught up in costume dramas and such, but Chorale has been one of the best things I have done in recent years--it's a marvelous outlet, and just a really great group of people.

Yes, it was good to be back.