Suddenly it’s all noteworthy

A couple weeks ago, Matt and I went to the Opera. Wow, awesome, cool! (Or maybe, how outdated and stuffy, you’re thinking :P) It was really a magical afternoon for us; what made it feel even more like a high-society day of socializing and taking in culture was that a friend of mine hosted a brunch to celebrate his new living situation, and so we spent the couple hours leading up to the opera kibitzing with old friends and climbing onto a roof. (It was a matinee we attended.)

The opera itself that we went to was Dream of the Red Chamber, based on a classic Chinese novel; the set of shows at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco were the world premier for this opera! So that was neat. I spent several hours in the days following the opera reading through the program handed out by the docents, soaking in all I could about the performers and the background to the making of the work. It felt so deliciously cultured.

But at the same time, my parents were taking in London and Paris, a trip they had been looking forward to for a long time. It made my little trip to the opera feel meager in comparison. How could I feel excited for my parents and not feel a bit of an also-ran in comparison? The pictures they were sending were impressive.

With the passing of time, I hold tighter to my experience of the Opera. We’re even planning to go again in a couple months! And of course, more experiences come. Just yesterday I attended a cooking class with my sister (ravioli!), and those always make me feel cultured and sociable, too. There’s a lot of experiences life has to offer.

A little glimpse of London