I learned that I look like Lynda Carter, or at least, that’s what I was told this past weekend. I was sitting in the Student Union Building of Univ. of Idaho along with a few other moms and one teacher from out teens’ high school. We were chaperoning a group of kids during the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in northern Idaho, and we were dog tired. We were so tired we were getting downright goofy. That’s when one of the mom’s said, “You know who you look like? Lynda Carter.”
“Wonder Woman? Cool!”
And that got Mrs. M., the English teacher, going on about other TV heroines. “Remember Isis?” she said. ”I loved to watch that. I remember I would put my wrists together, twirl around and say, ‘Oh mighty Isis…’ ”
We went on like that for a few minutes, revisiting favorite super heroines from the 70s. Like I said, we were all sleep-deprived (meaning we had four-to-five hours sleep, two nights in a row) and we were getting sillier by the minute. Here’s a snippet of our silly conversation:
Me: “I know why you think I look like her! it’s because I’m wearing this royal blue shirt.”
Mrs. S. (another mom): “No, no, you really do.”
Me: “It’s actually funny that you mention that because just the other night, I put on a blue tank top and red underwear and thought, I could be Superwoman or something.”
Mrs. S: “That’s funny. That’s not the superhero I would pick to describe me.”
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I also learned that it’s hard to be Christ-like when you’re so stinkin’ tired. I mean, you have no patience for anything or anyone. All you can think about is yourself, how tired you are, where you can find a spot to squeeze in a nap, or how you need another caffeine fix. You don’t care if someone has to perform at 8 a.m.; it’s downright crazy that the girls you’re rooming with start to wake up at 5 a.m. so they can take turns in the bathroom and do vocal exercises in the shower, ensuring that you lose an extra hour or more of sleep. It’s easier to grumble throughout the day and commiserate with the other moms about how stinkin’ tired you are. And by 12 midnight, you don’t care whose stinkin’ car the kids ride in. Just get in the car already!
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I learned that a one-man show won’t put you to sleep (even if you are tired) but can be highly entertaining, at least, when that one-man show is Bobby McFerrin. This was the best evening concert by far! This man was so unusual, so outside-the-box, musically, it was insane. I don’t even know how to describe it. It sounds like there are two or three voices coming out of one man! Somehow he layers his voice to produce this effect. I’m going to send you here to see one of the songs he performed for us. Anyway, he was totally fun and inspiring. My other favorite from the weekend was Gretchen Parlato. Oh, and of course, watching Kiki and the other kids from the school perform. Priceless, really, and worth a sleepless night anytime.
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Don’t worry Mrs. S., I’m sure we can find a super heroine that is just right for you. And anyway, we are all Super Moms, and that’s all that really matters.
Call When You Get There 
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