97. “Be” for Someone
This is the day of my one-woman show in Sparta, NJ and it has been momentous preparing for it. Pulling musicians together. Teaching the final song to a few grandchildren. Getting the program finished (ten pages). Preparing the patter between songs or readings. Publishing three books since June.
And this week as I was in the church office, I said to the secretary, “I’m a little bit frazzled.” She looked at me, touched me on the shoulder, and said seriously, “I’ll be calm for you.” And it worked. In that moment I was calmer. And in the few days ahead, as I got caught up in preparations again, I would think of her voice and it would work again.
It was a gift.
And it occurs to me that it is a gift we can give with some degree of seriousness to many of our friends, and perhaps to strangers too. I’ll be calm for you.
