Learning a Child’s Lesson from Little Miss Busy

From Spanish puppet play to French recital to Italian opera to iPads and charity events to singing in weddings and in nude Tableaux and filming in Staten Island, I suppose I had hoped my body had developed some superhuman ability to never rest from so many stresses -fun, difficult, real, or imaginary – by using my Neti Pot. Not so. As I finally rest today, at the obvious, relentless insistence of a fever and sore throat, I learn a little lesson from my childhood friend Little Miss Busy.

“Little Miss Busy loved nothing more than to be hard at work keeping herself busy. As busy as a bee. In fact, as busy as a hive of bees. Every day she would get up at three o’clock in the morning.”

“She even dusted the bread and polished the butter. She wasn’t happy unless she was busy working. She didn’t rest all day long-not for a minute. Not even for a second. From three o’clock in the morning until after midnight.”

“Until last Monday (Sunday, in this case), that is. Little Miss Busy wasn’t up at three o’clock. She wasn’t up by six o’clock. She wasn’t even out of bed by nine o’clock. She was sick. ‘I won’t be able to do any work!’ she cried. ‘Oh calamity!’

“She phoned Doctor Make-you-well. Five minutes later he was standing at the side of her bed. He asked her to stick out her tongue. He examined her throat. And he looked at her hands and feet. ‘What you need is rest, a lot of rest,’ he said with a big smile.”

‘”A lot of rest,’ repeated Little Miss Busy to herself. ‘Oh, calamity!’ There was a loud THUMP! Which was the sound of Little Miss Busy falling over backward, onto the bed, luckily for her.”

If you need me, I’ll be somewhere in my apartment, resting.

A Little Vegetation, Day 75 (15 of 25)

As a performer, I consider myself so lucky when I have weeks or months with no real breaks in employment.  On the other hand, I rarely have a full day off to take care of the things I need to in life, not related to my profession.  So yesterday, I did something for my sanity and therefore my career.  In the early afternoon, I sang a Bach audition I enjoyed very much, though since the organization has no currently open positions, I just placed my toe in the door and made a new acquaintance.  Still, I enjoy a little Bach in my day.  Then, I went home, did laundry, and spent some time just relaxing with a little Stargate SG-1 and finally watching LOST with a really fun person.  At the end of it all, I forgot to blog.  I guess everyone needs a day sometimes.

Apparently I needed such a day that I never bothered to even post this – it sat in my drafts folder for almost 20 full days.  Doh!

Day of Rest Indeed, Day 65 (5 of 25)

Day 5 of 25, A Career-Centered Focus

After singing at Temple Emanu-El tonight with their fantastic professional choir and organist, I pondered what I might do tonight to enhance my career.  Hardly waking up in time to leave the subway car at my stop, I decided immediately: sleep.  While looking at my somewhat bloodshot eyes in the mirror after three weeks of managing to burn the candle at both ends, I know it doesn’t matter that my voice and body still appear happily in tip top shape if I feel this exhausted after several cups of tea.  So please pardon the short and somewhat uneventful blog as I skip everything – a potentially fun date, practicing, and even dinner – to get the rest I desperately need before tomorrow’s morning service at the synagogue.  For anyone dying to witness me do something more for my career tonight, feel free to come to temple or check out our live recording of this evening’s Yom HaAtzma-ut Sabbath service and tomorrow’s live Sabbath morning service online at 10:30am.  Good night!