Now That Was One Play to go Nuts Over!

It was a lot of fun being in the audience for Ian's first grade play last night. I love first grade plays because the plot is always irrelevant and no one in the building, including the actors and directors themselves, has any idea who will ultimately steal the headlines. Maybe it's the kid who knocks the tree over, or the one who knocks the classmate standing next to him over, but the stars of the show usually turn out to be young kids involved in an unscripted plot twist that leaves everyone saying together: "you have to love first graders."

The other reality is in first grade plays every kid is a star. I know this dad spent 90% of his time watching his own son. Even when he wasn't speaking or moving - or in Ian's case - showing much interest at all in a future acting career, I was watching him. Ian spent most of the past month complaining at home that play practice was interfering with gym class. Through the beginning of the play he wore the look of a boy embittered by hijacked kickball games and footraces never to be reclaimed. But as the play went on, he eventually found his groove. At least as much of a groove as he was willing to look for.  

Watching Ian last night was watching a boy who's growing. He's getting physically bigger and broader by the corn dog, while his personality is losing all remaining traces of "little Ian." But that's life as a dad isn't it? We treasure them where they are, we dream of where they'll go, then we treasure the moment they get there. Keeping my eyes fixed there helps me avoid spending too much time looking back. Reminiscing. Pining for the good old days.  

​One of the songs in the play said it all about having a first grader:

​The Circle of Life

An acorn falls from a big oak tree
and sits on the ground so patiently.
With rain and sun, now what do you know?
From an acorn, a little sapling starts to grow.

That's the circle of life!
That's the circle of life!
Round and around and around we go,
that's the circle of life, circle of life!

The sapling stretches way up high
and gets a lot thicker my, oh my!
It might get taller than your or me.
Then the next thing,
you've got a big tall grown tree.

That's the circle of life!
That's the circle of life!
Round and around and around we go,
that's the circle of life, circle of life!

Every little thing just needs to grow
A dolphin or a tree, or a buffalo
Some'll get big, while others are small
​It's the circle of life around us all.

It was a cool night watching our sapling. He stretches more each day. I have no doubt a big tall grown tree will be throwing shade our way soon. And if we're lucky, that's all he'll be throwing....

Let's leave it at Ian was less than enthusiastic as the play go under way. 

But as things picked up and he got more involved his brighter side came blazing through. 

I know he was grateful to share the experience and the stage with good friends. 

And he had a huge fan club in the audience.

The play may have been Nuts, but life needs a few nuts here and there. 

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