Friday, August 07, 2009

The Show Must Go On

I had two gigs last weekend. One was great, and one was not. Fortunately, the great one was on Sunday and the experience was the opposite of the one on Saturday in every way. I know it's unrealistic to expect every storytime to be wonderful, but I always strive to give my best performance possible despite factors beyond my control. The Sunday performance helped to take away some of the sting of the Saturday performance, and the commiseration of friends and fellow performers helped with the rest.

This morning, my "best performance possible" was put to the test when I slammed my left thumb into the car door trunk right before my monthly gig at Third Place Books. For a split-second, I just couldn't believe it. Fortunately, the car keys were still in the trunk door, and I got it open. As I looked over the damage, Lucia was yelling, "I don't want to see it! I don't want to see it!" I insisted she get out of the car while I ran indoors to get bandages for the thumb, but I didn't have time to put the hand in ice-water before the gig. I made it to the bookstore in time, and before I started, I explained to the audience what had happened. I said "Sometimes one has to smile through the pain, and I wanted to let you know what happened in case I grimaced during the program."

I was able to fret the chords, tell my stories and finish well. Afterward, I got to hang out for a bit with Eric Herman and his daughters, who were kind enough to make it to the storytime before Eric's evening performance at Crossroads Bellevue. Lucia, Bede and I attended that concert as well and had a good time (I got to be the "Local Celebrity Judge" for the dance contest again!). We all wish that we could see Eric and family more often, and may very well have to take a trip to the Tri-Cities area of Washington so that our visits aren't just once-a-year occurences.

It's been a hard week, and there have been moments that I wanted to crawl under the covers and sleep for weeks. Many thanks to all of my friends and family who helped the show to go on.

8 comments:

tanita✿davis said...

Oh, OUCH. I have no idea how you went on with the show, NONE. You're a serious trooper!!

Anamaria (bookstogether) said...

Ack! You are a true professional. Wishing for a better week for you. No, make that a wonderful week! You're overdue.

Charlotte said...

Oh, poor thumb! I hope it is all better now.

Lone Star Ma said...

You are one tough mama to go on with the show! I'm sorry that happened and hope it's all better now!

Saints and Spinners said...

Thanks, everyone! As tempting as it to say, "Oh, pshaw, I had no choice but to go on" in reality I had to steel myself and push on. It still hurts like the dickens, but I can tell that my body is doing what it needs to do to make the repairs.

I'm hoping soon to be able to start reviewing the backlog of CDs I have on my desk. I've got some good ones to share.

Kate W. said...

I'm sending you good vibes to help you feel better!

Vivian Mahoney said...

Back from vacation and catching up on my reading. You're awesome and things will get better. Hugs.

Jules at 7-Imp said...

I'm just now seeing this post, though of course I knew about your thumb. OUCH. You. are. a. trooper.

P.S. To the email question: Yes, I'd love to see a pic!