The Whole 9 Yards

When I was in the third grade, I auditioned for the glee club alongside my best friend Zac. I remember us standing beside each other in the music room, waiting for our music teacher to begin auditions.  

We both prepared a song to perform. I forgot what Zac sang, but I went with the song “Bubbly” by Colbie Caillat, which was my favorite at the time. After we took our turns singing our little hearts out, she asked both of us to step out of the music room. A few moments later, she called Zac back in and invited him to attend practice the following week.

I remember that afternoon vividly, not because my dream of becoming a pop star was instantly shattered by our music teacher in front of my best friend, but because the same best friend never let me forget about it. LOL. In all seriousness, our music teacher was very passionate about her craft, and I always admired her for that. As for Zac, he has always been a fantastic singer.

It’s funny because each time I sing to my daughter now, she dances. It doesn’t matter if I’m singing a dance song, a kid’s song, or a ballad in Tagalog; Mia will just dance. One time, she threw a major tantrum while we were in the car. I tried giving her snacks and toys, yet nothing would console her. Then I started singing the “Itsy Bitsy Spider” in a slower tune, and she became silent, calmed down, and did the little hand spiders with me.

I may not have made it to my grade school glee club, but now I have a daughter who makes me feel like I’m the best singer in the entire world.

I’ve faced many rejections in my life; some were small and insignificant, while others were big enough to break my heart and shake my beliefs. Regardless of its magnitude, each rejection made me question, am I not good enough?

Then I became a mom, and every day my daughter looks at me with her little bright eyes, as if I put all the stars in the sky.

All the love and acceptance that I yearned for in my life was given to me in one tiny human.

Oh, what glee.