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Seems Like it Happened Only Yesterday

If we are lucky in our lifetimes we will have the privilege of knowing at least one person who touches us, inspires us, and pushes us more than any other person we've ever met before. For me that person was my ballet teacher who I had throughout middle school, high school, and college. I've talked about her briefly before on this blog. Today is the four year anniversary of her death, ever since I got the terrible news back in 2005, August 20 has always been kind of a sad day.

She was so much more than a ballet teacher, she was someone who literally was bursting at the seams with all kinds of life and optimism- qualities that I myself can only hope I achieve at some point in life. She was, and still remains, one of the greatest influences of my young life. I remember I was asked during my college entrance interview who the most influential person in my life is and I named her without even stopping to think because she was someone who had the upmost compassion for everyone she met in life and had this spark about her that was simply indescribable. She was 65 when she passed away, but she had the heart and soul of a 20 year old. She was constantly looking for new adventures and was always ready to start a new chapter of learning and exploration. About 3 weeks before she died she started asking me about the law school application process because she had become interested in possibly doing it after seeing me start the process. I was taken aback then as to why someone like her, someone who was literally a prima ballerina and one of the most well known teachers and composers in the area who already had 2 masters degrees would possibly need, much less want to go to law school. Her response simply was "why not?" I think had she had more time she would have actually done it, and it would have been spectacular.

I know that she wouldn't want any of her ballet students (all of whom remain like a second family to me) to be sad or depressed on this day, she would want us to have a good laugh, remember the good times, and of course dance, so I've tried to not dwell too much on the remembering today, because doing so inevitably makes me sad, but nevertheless I felt a need to write about her. I hope that I can some day learn to handle whatever life throws at me with the same level of grace and dignity that she always seemed to display. I will always be forever grateful to have known someone like her and to have been able to count her among one of my good friends, I really can't believe she's been gone for 4 years, I know all of her beloved students miss her like it happened only yesterday.

Full post as published by [ Useless Dicta ] on August 21, 2009 (boomark / email).