Valentine # 1 to The Symphony, John Williams and George Lucas and to K.

2/22/11

Valentine # 1: To the Symphony, John Williams and George Lucas.

     If you had told me ten years ago, twenty years ago, even thirty years ago, that one of the best, most moving valentines was going to be listening to the Star Wars theme song played live, I would have thought you were high.

     But, here’s what happened( try to suspend judgment):this time last year K was bitten by the Star Wars bug. Then it was as if he had never known or cared for anything else; his numerous firetrucks, no interest. His fire-fighting turnout gear that he wore to everything, including his pirate-themed birthday party, was gathering dust in a corner. All the construction trucks, shovels, and piles of rocks were untouched and forgotten. He only had eyes for Star Wars.  The head of his school said it is social currency, which helped me understand.

   So for a year we have lived, breathed, ate and talked Star Wars. When the questions got too rarefied( “Who is Yoda’s mother?” “What happened when a light saber breaks?”), I have to text my brother on the other side of the country for answers. And, I must say, I have learned a great deal. As has K! Truth to tell, I truly enjoy our light saber duels as the sun sets and our blades glow in the dark and the discussions about good and evil. K’s favorite thing is for us to basically do puppet shows of the Star Wars/Clone Wars narratives that are on his mind: the Rotta kidnapping, ( my addition) his mother coming to bring him home;Ahsoka’s reaction when she finds out Anakin  has gone to the dark side; Ewok battle; Endor speeder chase; anything with AT- ATs. To my joy and surprise,  Star Wars has motivated K to draw! He draws battles and all the characters. He just this evening draw a kick ass Millennium Falcon!

     Cut to a month ago when there was a sale at the symphony for the family program and the finale piece was, you guessed it, “Star Wars”. The symphony education department sent us a CD of the musical program along with workbooks about the symphony instruments and biographies of the composers. Thanks to this gift, K fell in love with “Night on Bald Mountain” by Mussorgsky.  

      Then on February 12^th we are at the symphony, both in our party clothes and very excited! As we are going up the stairs in the symphony hall, I find I have a huge lump in my throat. A joyful lump: I am going to the symphony. I’m walking up the stairs, hand in hand with my son. I have a son! Here he is excited to be going with me to a performance. And, for me—the good story whore that I am-going to a good performance is modern-day, real magic. So taking him to his first symphony performance it is a milestone and heaven. I pull it together because even though he is four, I know he is old enough to be mortified by me crying in public.

We find our seats and look down at all the instruments and the music starts! We are both mesmerized! When they play “Night on Bald Mountain” everything fades away( even the 18 month old whining and wandering in front of us,)  and K and I are both swaying and conducting to the music. He is sitting on my lap and I give him a kiss and tell him I love him. He reciprocates and presses his cheek against mine.  

That’s when the Star Wars music starts up. Hearing the music, there is a montage in my head and heart of K and me and Star Wars: We are discussing Luke and Darth Vader and why he goes over to the dark side; we are reading about the different droids; we are dueling with light-sabers with the soundtrack playing; K is telling me about the Squeak, the Jedi mouse; we are playing Star Wars stories with Rotta, Leia, Ahsoka, Lt D-2, C-3PO, Obi Wan, Mace Windu and Luke; we are building Rebel bases, we are spending days building a lego droid armored assault tank. We are doing all this together. And with this swelling, positive, empowering, John Williams music playing live in front of us, I can’t stop crying. My life is perfect. There is no way possible I could be more happy than this moment. 

Thank you, George Lucas. Thank you, John Williams. Thank you San Francisco Symphony and the Education department.

And thank you, dearest lovebug, K, for the best Valentine’s Day of my life.