The last few days have been perfect in a way that I have missed. Perfection in totality is not something I ever expect, but hiding in various places is not too much to ask.
The first place where I am gifted a slice of perfection is that I am working this week. My sister was kind enough to get me a brief gig as a sound board operator/sound technician for a show which she is the music directing. It’s been so long since I actually have been a part of the actual run of a production, let alone running sound. Last time I did that kind of tech work consistently was in high school. Yet, I had forgotten how much I actually enjoy running a show in this venue. Sound production, at least the very simplistic type that I am capable of operating, is one of things where I feel a full competency and rhythm that even painting doesn’t always afford me. You have your mics, a schedule, and many little knobs before you that can manipulate the voices in such a way that they sound as if the person/people is/are singing in the seat next to you rather than from a faraway stage. As I said, I’ve only operated shows where I only had to worry about a few body mics, some stationary fixtures, and possibly an effect or two. The show here is incredibly simple, but it has offered a chance to enjoy myself and get paid while doing so. Tis and excellent reminder of why I seek to consistently have a job where joy has a place.
Second slice of perfection is being with my sister. I will not pretend that we are those 50’s-TV siblings who get along so swimmingly it would inspire a live-audience to an “Awwwww.” However, we are unusually close for being so completely different. I have not spent such a long period of time with her since I went to college, and it is a special brand of lovely to actually stay with her for more than a couple days. Again, we definitely have our points of disagreement, but those points are eclipsed by the fact that we do love and like each other more often than we argue.
The third slice is simple. Alone time. While my parents have been awesome about leaving me to my own devices, the fact is that they spend a great deal of time in the house (I know, the nerve of them spending time in their own home!). Anyhow, I pray this does not sound whiny, but going from my own apartment to a shared house where I am never really alone is a difficult adjustment. I am an introvert, and I am used to spending large chunks of time completely by myself. Not a matter of being anti-social, just a simple matter of needing not to be in anyone else’s energy space for a time. While my rents, as I’ve said, are excellent about leaving me to myself, just the sharing of space is hard for me. While staying with my sister, I have been granted the unexpected treat of being left alone in her place for large chunks of time. Between her various jobs, and the fact that she is an extreme extrovert who abundantly enjoys going out, my sister is not always here. Thus, I have blocks of time where I can just languish in solitude with only her wonderful cats for company. Right now, I stare out the front window of her place (totally awesome window, huge with a view full of trees and sky), just savoring the rain outside. What more luxury could be desired than sitting cuddled in a blanket, cup of tea in hand, as a dreary day melts the world around you into a monochromatic wash that so nicely contrasts your own circle of light?
songofthewanderer 