A sea of royal blue gowns surrounds you as each wave gently flows down the red carpet one after the other. At every descending step on the red carpet you glance around to admire the millions of twinkling lights and proud smiles. The sound of the cheers land gently in your ears like the high notes of a symphony. You nervously walk behind stage stumbling over the tangled wires and cords connected to hundreds of tiny tube televisions around you. Each of those screens display the thousands of people with their flashing cameras and crystal breaking cheers. You catch a glimpse of the spotlight from behind the velvet black curtains. You see two bodies hugging, as the cheers get louder and louder. Two hands shake each other as the televisions zoom in to give full details of the two faces. For the slightest second you think of turning back but your feet seem to be frozen.The voice of the Master of Ceremony echoes in your ear, and at each thundering clap your heart skips a beat.
Something is missing.
You are approached by a small voice behind you, “Congratulations my dear. Here is your diploma.”, she says handing you a leathered navy blue book with your name gleaming on it in gold inscription. “Don’t forget to smile”, you hear the voice slightly fading as you take steps closer and closer to that spotlight. A shining circle of white light hovers over you as you stand there with a slight grin on your face, waiting for your name to be announced.
Another red carpet lies in front of you and you lift your head slightly to see a wise gentleman waiting on the other side of the carpet to congratulate you.That glimmering circle of light follows you as you proudly make your way to the end of the red carpet. You smile at him as you both stretch out your right hands at the same time. He embraces your hand and shakes it with a warm congratulation. “Here we are. Three years in the making and you have finally done it. Congratulations Ma’am”, his lips seem to speak. You can hardly hear his voice over the cheering crowd, so you simply exchange smiles and walk on ahead to the stairs leading you off the stage.
As your left foot approaches to take the first step down the stairs it is met with a pair of slick black dress shoes. You glance up to see a familiar face reaching out his curved arm, inviting you to put your hand through so he can escort you down the steps. The two of you walk down the five steps and as you reach the last step he whispers quietly into your ear, “Are you shocked to see me as your escort?”. “Well after seeing you in a lab coat dissecting eyeballs for three years, it is quite a different sight”, you whisper jokingly. With a slight chuckle he reaches his hand down into a box behind him and turns around holding a beautiful rose. “Congratulations my dear”, he hands you the rose.
With your blue leather book and the rose in your hand you make your way back up the red carpeted stairs to blend back in with the sea of royal blue gowns. There is a strange smile on your face as you watch the rest of your mates walk the stage, hovered by that same white light. You applause and scream with the rest of the crowd as the night prolongs, and each one of them has their proud moment under the spotlight.
Something is still missing.
At the end of the ceremony when you slip out of your gown and walk into the ballroom, the whole scene around you changes. In every corner thee are bright lights, and gleaming decors of blue and silver. The juvenile boys and girls dressed ever so elegantly for the occasion. There is nothing but joyful tears and smiling faces all around you, but you don’t notice any of them. All your eyes can see is your family searching the room anxiously to find you. And when they do spot you…you’ve found what you were missing…
A perfect moment.
“A perfect moment is an experience with others when time stands still. It is a time full of the present, when the past is left behind and the future is set aside. It is a special time of focused attention and heightened awareness. Interruptions and distractions are consciously excluded. Cell phones are off. Hearts are wide open. All that matters is this moment—the people I am with and the conversation we are having now.”
-- O’Kelly
Yours Truly x
