Against All Odds

This past weekend, Keith and I had plans. For the first time since Eleanor was born, we were going out with my parents.

That may not seem strange, but I will admit, we actually used to go out with my parents on a pretty regular basis. We buy tickets together to the Explorer Series at the Museum of Natural History and we all like a bit of Shakespeare or baseball now and again.

Since last July, we have gone out in twos and threes. My Mom and I go to a science lecture while my Dad and Keith stayed home with the baby. Mom watches Eleanor while the rest of us go to a baseball game. But finally, Mom's friend Mary Lou watched Eleanor last Saturday while Keith and I and my parents went to see "As You Like It" put on by the The Ohio Shakespeare Festival at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens.

I never thought it was going to happen. First, Eleanor came down with a fever on Thursday. Friday was a bad, bad day, full of tears and fitful sleep and not a whole lot of eating or rest for anyone.

And it rained. Did I mention that the performance was supposed to take place outdoors? Thursday and Friday, it poured. By Saturday morning, we figured our big night out was shot.

I was so happy to be wrong! Eleanor woke up Saturday morning feeling much better—her fever was gone and she was still a little cranky, but overall much more like herself. We still had thunderstorms Saturday morning, but they were mostly cleared up by mid-afternoon and we decided to go ahead with our plans.

We went through the KFC drive-thru on the way out to Stan Hywet, and enjoyed a picnic dinner on the grounds before heading over to our seats in the audience. After the weather and Eleanor being sick for the past few days, I was actually convinced that I wouldn't enjoy the show. I thought I would be so busy worrying about all the things I hadn't gotten done over the past few days, and whether Eleanor was really better or not, that I wouldn't be able to relax and enjoy the show.

And again, I was wrong. (It was a very humbling day for me.) Once we got away from the house and were in the idyllic setting of the Stan Hywet grounds (the play was set up near the scene pictured above), I remembered what it was like to go out. We made conversation, enjoyed the weather, and thought about literary themes and actors' performances.

It's good to get out sometimes. Especially when it's against all odds, and you really need a break from reality.