After Midnight Mass, we joined the throng in the vestibule, the children and I talking among ourselves, waiting for my husband to come down from the choir loft, along with what seemed like 100 people, talking quietly or waiting for someone.
And then my sensitivity to the incense we had just left and a draft from the door opening hit me together, and I began to sneeze. After the seventh sneeze I looked up. The stillness was like that of the church, as every smiling face was turned toward me. Time stood still.
I thought of "thank you", as I'm sure people probably had said "God bless you" while I sneezed. I thought of "excuse me", but somehow it seemed it would fall short of what needed to be said. Life seemed to be in suspension, and the spell needed to be broken. So I released them by saying with a confident smile, "I'm done!"
It occurred to me that perhaps I could do public speaking, after all.
2 comments:
Oh gosh, that is so funny!
Hey, every public speaker I know is nervous even with years of experience, but they still do it.
Thanks for your comment, Maureen!
I'm glad you thought it was funny.
I'm trying to figure out if public speakers being nervous makes me feel better about public speaking or not. :) I think I need to get to "nervous beforehand" from "miserable the whole way through and knowing it was terrible afterward". I do feel that night was a breakthrough. :) I can just remember the benevolent looks on those people's faces. :)
MM
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