Alpine Dreams

Every time I see a photo of the Alps, I relive The Sound of Music. 

The first time I saw the movie was on a class trip.  The trip had been well chaperoned, but even our teachers’ eagle eyes could not monitor ninety students in a darkened theater.  It’s no surprise that some of the teenage lovebirds spent more time stealing kisses than watching the movie.

I wasn’t one of them.  Since receiving a leading role in a school play, I had wanted to be a star.  As I watched the story unfold, I dreamed of answering an  open casting call.  After watching hundreds of dejected actresses leave complaining that “no one ever gets hired through  open casting ”, it was finally my turn.  As I belted out “the hills are alive . . .” the room quieted and then burst into applause.  “We’ve found her!”  Until the lights came up in the theater, Julie Andrews disappeared and I sang and danced my way across the screen.

My dreams didn’t totally die when the lights were turned on.  I never auditioned at an   open casting  and my singing wouldn’t qualify me for a karaoke performance.  It doesn’t matter.  Whenever I hear music from The Sound of Music, the dream is revived and I am a star.

Here's a bit of Julie.  Feel free to imagine yourself as a star.