I never thanked my mom for making my tutu.
She made it out of kelly green tulle and added dark green sequins on the ends to make it sparkle. I’ve always loved sparkles. It was for my dance recital when I was nine years old. I absolutely loved it! I felt like a professional ballerina during the recital. Even though I messed up, I still felt beautiful and free. I played with that tutu for many years and when it no longer fit my waist, I’d wear it on my head and rock out.
This one simple act gave me years of pleasure and creative play. I imagined I was a ballerina performing in New York City, a princess dancing at a ball, or a rock star on stage. Sometimes, I used it as a mega car ramp, a tumbling tumble weed, or a volleyball. Some of my fondest memories were when I’d rock out. I’d put on my sparkly green tutu-hair, tune my air guitar, and perform my latest hits for all my fans. My fans, AKA my stuffed animals, loved it.
When she made my tutu, she was a single mom in her thirties with three kids and she worked full time. She must have been exhausted. In fact, now that I’m a parent I can empathize with how physically and emotionally drained she must have been.
Thanks mom for making my tutu. I loved it and thank you for taking the time to give me such a wonderful gift.
