Life Lessons

About two weeks ago, Jacey's ballet teacher pulled her aside after class and expressed concern with her dancing. She is particularly worried that Jacey is going to hurt herself. She recommended that she not do pointe any more.

Jacey met me at the door when I came home in tears. Yes, pointe is hard for Jacey. Genetically, she was not blessed with flexible feet. (Totally believe this is a Petersen trait.) She has worked hard over the years to do her very best. She knows that she is not going to be a Ballet West dancer, and she knows that she is not even going to be the best in the class. She has her Thoracic Outlet Syndrome to be careful of, as well as her Facet Syndrome, and now she has a teacher that is not satisfied with letting her just do her best. Apparently, her best is not good enough.

So, Jacey took that piece of advice into Nutcracker tryouts hoping and praying that she would make it one more time before she was forced to quit. (She was not able to try out two years ago because of her surgery on her leg, and last year she burned a hole in the bottom of her foot and she didn't make it.)

However, life does not always give you what you want. Jacey didn't make it again. It was her last chance, and there were plenty of tears flowing last weekend when she found out.

She did have the owner of the ballet school call her and offer a lesser part to her, but the tears were done. The acceptance of the situation was dealt with, and Jacey didn't want to prove she was good enough to do a part that she has already done twice before.

Jacey hasn't decided what she will do about dance yet. Some decisions are hard. She loves to dance. She loves the associations she has. She doesn't want to quit. I have told her she can do it. It will mean lots more stretching, but she needs to decide what she really wants.

There are no right or wrong answers here. That makes it so much harder.