Dancing in the Rain

Christmas is nearly upon us and all is organised in the Alcoholic Daze household. Cards have been sent, food is in the cupboards and freezer, presents have been laid out ready for wrapping and train tickets reserved for a quick pre-Christmas day trip to visit Greg's family. The stairs and tree have been decorated and we are all set to go.

I wish everyone a peaceful Christmas and a great start to the New Year. 

Of course, Christmas is not peaceful for everyone. For some it is not peaceful out of choice. I know many people who prefer a noisy Christmas with lots of relatives, board games, singing reindeer, farting snowmen and so on. The louder, the better. 

For many it is not peaceful  and certainly not of their choosing, as they live with an alcoholic. This time of year can be a minefield, living with an alcoholic, as it is almost expected that alcohol will feature prominently in large doses. Not a problem for most, but for families  living with alcoholics it is purgatory. I therefore offer some solace for those in that situation with a saying I came across recently.

LIFE IS NOT ABOUT SURVIVING THE STORM, BUT LEARNING TO DANCE IN THE RAIN. 

Every so often,  for your own sanity, it not worth the trauma of fighting the alcoholic, but to let things be. Sometimes, approaching the problem with a different mindset can cause you less stress. May you therefore dance in the rain this Christmas. Back in 2019!

At last

courtesy of cartoonstock.com

Our choir actually made it to a concert last night. Actually sang. Without  the wrong kind of snow or the pianist's lurgy cancelling it. It was scheduled for last night and with bated breath, based on previous experience, I was half expecting the cancellation, right up to the moment I stood on stage!

We had rehearsed all term a mix of religious and non-religious Christmassy numbers and a random one thrown in. We had two rehearsals this week to fine-tune everything with microphones and a flautist dragged in from somewhere to create a haunting backdrop. 

Kay wasn't sure she could make it, as she had started a new rotation at the hospital yesterday and, being her first day there, she couldn't just up and off when her shift officially finished, as everything would be new and take her twice as long, but after all that, she did manage to get home in time to accompany me to the venue. So it was all working well.

The first half of the "show" was taken up with songs from a 20-strong barbershop choir who were very good indeed. They were followed by a local primary school with cute fluffy kids singing some complicated songs. Then came the interval and we were on in the second half. The star act!

The random song, the first one of our repertoire, was I wanna dance with somebody and our choirmistress, in her wisdom, had all eighty-odd of us line up at the back of the hall and dance down the aisles through the audience and up onto the stage. That was embarrassing! However, once installed on the stage, I managed to keep my nerves, even though I was centre-stage and with nobody tall standing in front of me, I could see most people in the audience. Gulp. I was on the edge of my group, the sopranos, but standing next to a bass on the edge of his group. He belted out his notes so loudly that it was a job trying to sing my soprano part over him. A right war of the notes. We warbled our way through gospel, religious pieces and then finally stuff like Jingle Bells and White Christmas. I think the audience liked it and even joined in for the Santa Claus is Coming to Town at the end.  

More events are lined up for next week - carols in the high street. I'll be signing autographs afterwards. Bring a pen!