Beauty

"She's got a light around her
And everywhere she goes
A million dreams of love surround her
Everywhere...."

A few years ago I was offered tickets to the ballet, a performance of George Balanchine's "Jewels." When asked, I said, "Oh yes. Please."

I was very excited. I took my daughter and we dressed for the occasion ~ pretty dresses and ofcourse, jewels. When we arrived to the theater I went to will call to pick up our tickets fully expecting to sit in the balcony, but the gifter was the director of education so I guess she had first dibs on the good seats. We sat almost in the front, about two rows back from the regular patrons. It was like a dream in a way. My expectations never had me anywhere other than back row balcony.

We sat down, and I think we must have been sparkling because people kept looking at us and when one or the other of us would look back, people would smile. The performance started and as soon as the music of Faure began, I felt a constriction in my throat that could not be contained and I cried, it was so beautiful, emerald, and the dancers so simple and elegant, but choreographed in this magnanimous, uplifting way that moved my core. I was not sure why I was affected so... emotionally, but it was a combination of things: the excitement and unexpected surprise of seating arrangement, the obvious warm acceptance of the people surrounding us, the preparation in readying, the elegant building and seats, the person who seated us dressed in a tails, the anticipation, the music, then, the green glimmer and twinkle of the costume and lights .. the whole thing was the dance.

I am compelled to recollect something like this when the ugliness of the world starts to infect my soul, I look to find that there is beauty and grace, elegance and light and that instead of compensating the light with darkness, it should perhaps be the other way around to achieve a balance.