catharsis

Recently, a friend and I were discussing massages. I don't remember how we got on the topic, but I mentioned that I had never had a professional massage. My friend told me that, while she enjoys the actual massage, it is always a very emotional experience for her and it's a bit embarrassing to cry during the session. I've heard similar stories before, from other people.

I think I've found something more embarrassing and more weirdly emotional. I get why having the tension kneaded out of you can lead to tears. I don't get, however, how drum music at the library beat tears from me.

This morning, Pic and I went to the library for storytime, as usual, and Ms. Judy announced that tonight's program was going to be a Taiko drum performance put on by Tsurunokai. I was mildly interested, but Pic was enticed by the fact that Ms. Judy told her she could wear her pajamas to the program (usually we go for the Pajama Night activities).

After the library, Pic and I went to House of Bread, of course, and then came home to rest. Pic slept for three hours. I had planned to read a good chunk of The Shepherd's Calendar, but instead I slept for two hours myself (after freaking out a tiny bit about the two earthquakes I felt around 2:30). When I woke up, I was groggy, incoherent and uncomfortable. I just wanted to sit at home, but I mentioned the program to Pic anyway. She was beyond stoked at the idea of going to see/hear the drums, so Cardo, Pic and I piled in the car.

I wish I had brought my video camera, but I don't think that that would have even come close to recording the Taiko performance. There were two Taiko drums (the woman leading the program had made them from wine barrels and cow hide...not bat skin as one of the children guessed) and some smaller drums. The music was so wonderfully loud that it reverberated in my chest. I was afraid, at first, that Pic would want to leave, but soon enough, her entire body was swaying to the music. Okay, so swaying doesn't even begin to describe her very soulful movements (again, I wish I had brought my camera). At the end of the performance, half of the kids got up to play the drums and the other half got up to dance (actually, we all got in on the dancing part). After the program, Pic got to play one of the drums also and one of the performers complimented her on her dancing.

This all sounds well and good, no? However, about twelve seconds into the performance, I was crying. What is that about? I was just so weirdly overcome with emotion and the tremendous volume and the rhythm were strangely cathartic for me. I was sitting in the back of the room, trying to quietly wipe tears from my streaming eyes and hold it together. Talk about embarrassing.

Two thoughts: I need more sleep/less stress and I appear to have the stereotypical hormonal make-up of a pregnant woman (and my body just last week informed me that, thank everything holy and not, I am not a pregnant woman).

I really need to go get on that reading now, but I do have two very exciting (to me) plans for the next couple of weekends. This coming weekend is the Earth Day celebration at Idlewild. Last year I didn't go because Cardo was working and I got entirely too overwhelmed by the volume of people there and realized that I couldn't handle taking Pic by myself. I'm really looking forward to this year (Cardo will be attending with us). The following Sunday is $6-Day at the Friends of the Washoe County Library warehouse sale! Yippie-chi! (Yes, I know, I don't really need more books, but really, I need more books...it's an addiction and it could be worse so I'll keep it.) Last year, I got about 90 'new' books (the books are all used) for $18 (kids' books are small). I can hardly wait.

Oh, one last thing. I couldn't possibly sign off without including a picture of dinner. (As I told Cardo tonight, 'It wouldn't be dinner without a picture.' Of course the freaking camera battery was dead, so I had to take the picture with the computer camera, so it looks a little strange.) The flatbread and the chicken gorgonzola are from Trader Joe's. I made the polenta salad. I baked thin slices of pre-made polenta and added it to the rest of the salad. The rest of the salad was chopped spinach, chopped tomatoes, dried basil (we don't have any fresh basil in the house right now), sauteed minced garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. (I have to say that the color of my salad is beautiful and vibrant!)