In My Next Life...

I'm pretty satisfied with the way my life is now. I'm going in the directions I want to be going, I'm doing the things I said I wanted to do. I'm only in the early stages of the journey, but I'm satisfied at least that I have set out. Of course, I would rather my Dante be here with me, but his happiness and growth are primary goals of mine, and, well, he's getting that. Just in a different place.

Still, if when my energy gets recycled into the universe and I happen to get to be a human again, there are three things I hope I get to be. Oh, and I'd like to come back female again. I don't think I'd care to be a dude.

I want to be a dancer. A classically trained on stage warming up at the bar tapping, jazz ballerina. I want to get into the whole leotard thing and go into a different universe when the music starts. I watched the dance teachers at my son's dance school. They seem like they're on a different set of stars than I am, a completely different, body oriented universe. It looks like fun. However, at 28 years old, I'm already over the hill to begin trying. Fortunately, that doesn't keep me from enjoying other people doing it. Or from rocking around the house like a Fraggle on crack.

I want to be a musician in an orchestra. I would play the flute. I trained for a few years on the flute, but never got to do anything professional with it (can't let fundy children out into the REAL world, heavens they might pick up something--like the truth pox!). I love the flute. I can also play the piano and a couple other things. But actually having been in the music world (albeit the granola crunchy state park scene), I know that orchestra work is probably out. Too much competition. When the dust settles, though, I'll probably pick up the flute again for fun. But I'd like to tour the world in my next life with my concert clothes and the sound of everybody hitting one note for tuning with my shiny flute!

Last, I would like to be an opera singer. I'd like to belt out arias for things like "The Magic Flute" (hee hee! flutes AND opera) and dress up and bring the rafters down with my alto soprano! Unfortunately, alto soprano is the most competitive female vocal part. So I'd have to be born with a different range. I'd like the highest range possible, please, or to be a *gifted* alto soprano. Even though my vocal cords would be mellow enough right now to start me into my prime, I don't have years of training behind me. Plus, I don't have enough power to really belt it out. Close, but no cotton. So, I'd like to be born again as either Nathalie Dessay (that way I could be a cute Frenchwoman as well) or fat. My Italian professor trained to be an opera singer. She said she gave it up when she realized that she had a good voice but that she wasn't gifted. And the gifted in opera always win out over the good.

I wish I could feel the same thing toward my writing and photography. I would hope that if the day comes after I've tried my best and I find that I'm a "good" writer, but not gifted, I'll smile, put down my pen, and still be able to get into a good book without envy.

--Virgil