Alegría

What if anything were possible?
What if the stage became a fantastic world where the old were young again, and where the kings were clowns?
And if that were Alegría, what would you make of it all?

Wherever Alegría has passed, its refrain of folly and irreverent laughter echo still.
Its magic and joy spring from a world turned upside down…

I am at a loss. I have no idea how to start this entry. To convey the magic that occurred last night in Portland. The enchantment to which I was witness. Let me try...

I left the office at 5:30. We had all agreed to meet at The Old Spaghetti Factory by 6:00. There were twelve of us going, a gift from one of our vendors. I was ecstatic, but I had no idea how truly amazing the night would be.

For as hot as it was that morning and the night before, I was a little shocked to feel the cold, hard air and rain press against my face as I walked to my car. Driving in this rain at night is never my favorite excursion, and I hadn't worn a jacket. But not even the rain could hamper my excitement. It simply added drama to an already dramatic evening.

I had Janet with me - my boss's mother. We arrived on time and proceeded to wait twenty minutes for our table, and for the others to arrive. My boss and his wife wandered in first. Then Janet's husband. Next was my date, Stacee, who's one of our top producers. Oh, but I'm getting off track. These details aren't relevant at all to the story I'm trying to tell. I digress.

I was eating my Chicken Parmesan with a side of broccoli, when suddenly I grabbed my head and blurted out, "OH MY GOD! I FORGOT THE TICKETS!" It only took me a moment to realize I had an hour before the show, so I gulped my shiraz and sped back to the office. By the time I returned, everyone was headed to the show four blocks away.

We pulled into the first driveway, which had a sign - $3. We knew it would only get more expensive as we got closer to the tent. The walk was short and we were inside the sales tent in no time. There was beautiful music playing in the background and as soon as we began to look around, there was an announcement from a woman with a French accent: "The show will begin on time in two minutes." We found an usher to help direct us to our seats. It wasn't crowded - these touring shows are smaller - so getting to our seats wasn't difficult. As soon as we sat down, it started.

Brief intermission while you click this link and begin to explore the world in which I was immersed last night. (I hope you have speakers.)

I sat like an eight-year-old girl again, on the edge of my seat, poised for every movement on stage. My eyes were alight with wonderment - I didn't want to miss a thing. I felt like royalty, like I was a part of one of Shakespeare's original plays at a time when he himself was alive. I am struggling for words to describe what I was feeling, and what I continue to feel, because of this amazing event. Like the first time you discover Disneyland. Or your first real play. Or the first time you felt you could achieve anything at all.

And, as I said, I'm still enchanted. I feel like I was just reminded how to dream. This is who I would be every minute of every day if I knew how. But I'm thankful that I at least had last night.

What inspires YOU this way?