On Performing

"So, does she like ice skating?"

"I think she does, yeah."

"Do you think she'll want to keep going with it?"

"So far, it seems she does."

"Start saving your money then."

This was a brief conversation I had at the end of an ice skating show that Brady took part in this past weekend. Brady has only been skating for a few months, so her performance was a fairly simple one. But I soon found out how much she enjoyed performing in front of people, despite her relative newness to skating.

Stacey and I had talked with Brady after her two performances (Friday and Saturday night), and asked if she enjoyed it. We got a fairly enthusiastic "yes" as a response. When asked what her favorite part of the show was, she responded: "The performing, and the waving, and the people clapping."

I'm doomed.

Here's the thing though: there's absolutely no guarantee that Brady will continue ice skating. I mean, I know that she enjoys skating, and is at least planning to keep practicing in the near future. However (as I've mentioned many times before), she tends to be fickle. So for all I know, she could come up to me tomorrow and say she doesn't like ice skating anymore.

No, my prophecy of doom comes from this simple fact: Brady loves to perform. I don't really think I can adequately emphasize that previous sentence enough. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, that excites her more than performing. It could be singing, dancing, acting, whatever. Every time she gets to be in front of people performing, she loves it.

I'm sure there's a certain level of ego involved in her love. After all, she's got all eyes on her, even if she's performing in a group like she did last weekend. She doesn't ham it up, or act like she's the greatest thing since Katherine Hepburn when she does it. She just likes to do it, and if people are watching, all the better.

So, I don't know what path she'll eventually choose on her way to adulthood. For all I know, she could be the most charismatic accountant the world has ever seen. But odds are, all eyes will be on her as she does it. And she wouldn't want it any other way.

Time to start saving up.