Heckled

Earlier this week, I was given the honor of playing the piano for the Oquirrh Elementary School Fifth Grade Christmas Program. I thought this would be a fun thing to do. Preparations began a couple weeks ago and I immediately learned (and improved) various arrangements of songs like "Holly Jolly Christmas" "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" "Rudolph" and "Let There Be Peace On Earth". A couple days before the program, I was informed that I was expected to have "a little something" prepared for while the kids walked on and off the stage. I decided I would just take my big Christmas songbook and find something easy to play.
The program itself went well. I had a great rendition of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" for while the kids came in. The actual program went very smoothly. My confidence was firm.
Then it was suddenly over. I scrambled through my big songbook to find something for the exit. "Jingle Bell Rock" caught my eye.
I figured, since it's technically a jazz song, it wouldn't really matter if I missed a couple notes here and there. I thought I was doing a great job having never played that song before. Apparently I was wrong. Some redneck in the back row shouted "Come on, Piano." At first I thought I was just hearing things. Then I realized that my take on a Christmas classic was offending someone.
So I stopped playing. Looked around. Stood up and left.
This experience is now the newest addition to my Anti-Christmas arsenal.

In Conclusion. . .

I realize that if one were to read through my previous blog posts, they would encounter two or three posts talking about some sort of "life-changing" decision. Here's another one.
These last few weeks, I have been tossing around the idea of going back on a mission. It's still hard for me to shake the thought of "where would I be right now?" and "where SHOULD I be right now?".
Well, I made up my mind. I decided I am going to try to go back. If I tried, I would know whether or not it was meant to be.
Unfortunately, not long after having made that decision, the exact opposite occurred. My body gave me a gentle reminder that I am not quite at full capacity.
So, I am here to stay.
I know what you are thinking. Deciding to stay in one place is no life-changing decision. You're right. The part about my life changing is more about the way I view my situation. I have made every effort to return, but it's just not meant to be.
The next step? Find a good reason to be here. This one shouldn't be hard.