Charlotte was ecstatic. We were heading off to watch Elsa light up the stage with the FROZEN production from the local theater. Reluctantly, Eva had to stay behind sick with the flu. I had two other friends tagging along with Charlotte, which made for a glorious afternoon.
Feeling well put together and arriving on time, we hurried inside to get our tickets and concessions. While getting our snacks, I noticed eyes watching me. I could tell a slight irritation was behind the stare. I smiled politely but ignored the glare. Continuing to gather our goodies before entering the play, Charlotte’s hand moved faster than I could stop while I was trying to get everyone’s popcorn, skittles, and M&Ms. “Put that back, Charlotte. What do you have? Wait! You cannot just take that off the counter! Your turn is next. Please, stop.” By now, the lady at the door was very frustrated when we walked up. “You’re going to have to go in with the first act following behind you,” she sneered. I turned wide-eyed and confused. There behind me was half of the Frozen cast waiting to enter the theater. “Oh dear.” I thought to myself. I never actually wanted to be in the lead role, but now I was!
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Hurrying into the dark theater with the cast following in behind us – ready for song and verse. We snuck along the edges, trying to find our row. Finding our row, we saw that our seats were all the way at the other end – of course, they were. I leaned down and politely whispered to the person at the end, “Excuse me, we have to sneak in here; you’ll want to pick up your popcorn. I’m coming through with three kids.” Annoyed, they concurred. “Excuse me” was my anthem as I moved methodically down the aisle.
I heard it hit the floor but couldn’t see what it was. “It’s spraying!” She exclaimed. Finding the can on the ground, I picked it up. “Let me help you,” I replied. Realizing the problem, I tried to stop the can from spewing everywhere. The more I tried, the more the can sprayed! Still standing in our row, the people in front of me were wiping their necks, and the people behind me were wishing I would move.
I pressed the can into my pants, trying to stop the streamline, but it seemed the seal around the top of the can was busted in multiple places and continued to spray. “It’s spraying my face! Just give me the can! She said with extreme annoyance.” I tried to hand her my Sprite as a peace offering, but it seemed only to nettle her impatience. In a frenzy, I did what she asked, gave her the exploding can and crept down the aisle with all the kids in tow.
Once I got us all seated, I looked back down the row. The lady was wiping Sprite off of her face. She then tilted her chair forward to allow all the liquid to drain off. I watched an usher come in with a full roll of paper towels and offer them to the lady while another removed her chair and gave her a new one. She caught my eye, and I mouthed, “I am SO SORRY.” She just shook her head while cleaning herself off.
With the Frozen theme song in the background, Charlotte jumped on my lap, popping Skittles as if nothing had happened. “Let it Go” seemed to fit perfectly as I replayed the last two minutes of my life.
It was magical watching a three-year-old enjoy the afternoon’s enchantment. Charlotte couldn’t wait to tell Eva all about it.
Retelling the small anecdote to Eva and Chuck that evening made for a highly humorous conversation.
Charlotte had already fallen asleep to happy dreams of Arendelle when I tiptoed to tuck Eva in. “Oh, Mom, tell me the story again so I can memorize every part. How do these things happen to you?!”
“Eva, I don’t know, perhaps I just capitalize on an unevental situation that becomes a story worth sharing; I am a lot like Pa in that way. I am always grateful for the innocence of each incident and the laughter it contains. I never see the story at first. I am always too busy trying to get myself out of whatever pickle I got myself in, but when the calm settles, I find the joy. Life is full of hilarious moments. Don’t miss them.”
Happiness is like a butterfly that, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but if you sit down quietly, it may alight upon you.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them. Psalms 126:2
