For Christmas, my mom got Maggie and herself tickets to the Lion King. A few weeks later she reconsidered and gave me her ticket.  Her idea was that since I did a lot of acting as a teen and since Maggie is suddenly showing an interest in theater, the experience might be more rewarding as a father/daughter bonding exercise. The show is magical – and I was prepared for it to be a little corny, far from it! – seeing these professional dancers operating these gorgeous puppets and costumes was a treat. Right in front of us walked 3 people in a Rhino, several people swinging birds around, a cheetah, and more. When Scar tells Simba to “RUN” – the boy playing the lion ran through the audience and right in front of my daughter.

Eyes wide as saucers, my girl couldn’t stop talking about her favorite parts when it was over.  I was concerned about the death of the father (given my brush with it back in September) but Maggie was fine with it (I was the one who teared up).

A magical night, a wonderful show, a perfect 7-year old companion – dressed to the nines, is there a more beautiful word for a father than “daughter”?  I mean besides “son”? – and so what if she picked Taco Bell for dinner.  I allowed it because I can eat the chicken soft tacos with my diet and because the poor girl hasn’t had a lot of fast food since my heart attack (we’ve drastically changed our diet, for the better). But a special occasion is a special occasion.

Thanks Mom, we loved it!

Tags: Misc