Summer Nights

Last night #34 (singing loudly and terribly out of tune) was crossed off the list thanks to the birthday festivities of my friend Laurie.  I almost missed the opportunity, conveniently not putting 2 and 2 together (list + karaoke machine + group of pals), but my friends have the minds of elephants and graciously shined the spotlight on the opportunity at hand.


Song of choice was Summer Nights from Grease.  Could there be a more campy tune?  Good news is I  knew all of the words and I still belted my heart into the microphone out when the cd stopped mid song.  No harm done, I had survived.  And then today, it hit me that it was no accident that was the song I would sing out loud.  


To say I wasn't in the 'most popular' category as a child would have been an understatement.  My parents moved our family to Brazil in January of 1978.   Attending a wealthy American school, as the child of missionaries was a bit tough to do when you were in the 3rd grade.  That entire school year I would come home crying and beg my mom to let us go back home.  I didn't fit in and it was brutal.


My first glimmer of hope came at the end of the school year when I was invited to a slumber party.  The theme was....you guessed it, Grease, and I couldn't have been more excited.  The event itself proved to be a bit overwhelming and a comedy of errors.  My trying to hard, coupled with being a bit of a klutz and breaking a valuable knicknack while we danced to...Summer Nights.  I remember replaying that evening in my head for months, reflecting on what I would do different if I got invited to another party.  My next invite didn't come until a year later.


32 years after that fateful slumber party, I stood surrounded by my dearest pals singing and dancing to that dreaded song.  I had a ball and wasn't really thinking (or caring) what anyone thought.  It was exhilerating.  As I cross #34 off the list, I am reminded there are no accidents.  We are given opportunities learn and heal ourselves every day.  Sometimes we just have to be reminded to pause a moment and look for those connections, they are everywhere....even in a campy song.