what I learned at the opera

On Thursday I went to an opera with my students. Their assignment was to write a paper about what the opera said about humanity. It was one of those long days (7:30am - 9:30pm). Sam took me out for dinner during my one break, and that was nice. Then I received a heartfelt message, which made me feel good. Then, during one of the most hilarious parts of the opera, I got a little teary. Just started crying when everyone else was laughing. I don't think any of my students noticed. It doesn't matter. It made me think that maybe, if I were writing that paper, I'd say something about that. Humans laugh one second and cry the next second. Both are true. We're so complex and we live these crazy lives, and it's no wonder that there's something deep inside us that says you need to cry now. Just for a little bit. Then, you need to take a deep breath. Then you need to smile and keep moving on with your crazy life and your crazy big dreams and your crazy schedule. Oh, and don't give up on those big dreams.

And I'd probably give myself an A.