Picking up from yesterday –
So, we set up the space with all of the years of her wonderful work.
Throughout the three days, her husband and daughters, and some members of her team came to help.
I know I’ve mainly been talking about her, but we were celebrating the whole team, because they’re almost all leaving! Her husband designed all of the sets, and led the stagecraft classes to build them.
This amazing woman who did all of our costumes is leaving as well.
Our musical director (who always intimidated me, but was always helpful and nice) helped out a lot as well (just as he always did with everything).
The party was being held in the new performing arts center where B will be working now. (Again, transition, not retirement.) But, we got to take one last trip to the high school theater to gather up some costumes and props.
It was so weird (and wonderful) going back to the theater. It was weird thinking about how I used to walk into that place and it just felt like home. You know, when you just feel completely comfortable and at peace with a place? When you can easily walk around and know where things are without thinking about them. When you know the most comfortable place to sit against the railing. And all that good stuff.
And I was thinking about how now that B is not going to be there, that place is kind of going from behind home to just being a big room. It’s still the same space. But, I don’t think the space is really what’s home about it. I mean, to some degree it is. I think I’ll always walk in there and feel memories and feel happy. But, definitely something is changing about it when she’s not there.
So, we went and grabbed some costumes and I whispered one last goodbye to one of my favorite places in the world.
Back in the set-up, I enjoyed hearing the stories of everyone on the team and everyone in B’s family. I went out to lunch with B and her husband. I asked them about their life, how he proposed, the beginnings of their careers.
It was nice to just kind of get a little more of the silly, cute human side of them. (Of course, they’re always cute and human, but you know. I’m sort of a grown up now, getting to know them more as people than as just my teachers.)
Back to the set-up, it was amazing how long it took to get everything ready. Just when it would seem like we were almost done, there’d be another job to be done.
It kind of dawned on me on the last day, “Oh yeah, we have to light the gallery.” I was ecstatic to be back on a ladder. It’s been so long since I hung lights!
Of course, I didn’t mind that there was always more to do. And I really shouldn’t have been surprised. It seems like you always fill all the time you have, and everything always gets done in that exact time. You never run over, but you never run under. I don’t know how that works, but it seems to always work out that way. Don’t you think?
And this is where I’ll pick up tomorrow.