B - B - B - Billy and the Jets...

Good news, bad news.

It’s always tough to decide which news to give first but I have made a decision. The good news has to come first because the bad news...well, it’s just not that bad. Just don't tell my husband I said that.

First, Billy Elliot. Today I went to see the Broadway show of the same name with my friend Joanne and it was absolutely wonderful. The musical centers on a young English lad, Billy Elliot. His mother has recently died and Billy is struggling with the loss while being raised by his father, elderly grandmother and older brother. It's the tale of their personal struggles, past and present. It’s also the story of a small Northern English community living through the strife caused by the coal miner’s strike that started in 1984, while Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister. Times are very tough but Billy finds a second home and new purpose in a local dance studio. The dancing is brilliant. The best part was seeing the sheer joy on the face of the young actor playing Billy Elliot as he danced beautifully through the show. He dances with such a huge smile on his face, that it brought tears to my eyes. At intermission, Joanne had asked me how a young kid like that knows he wants to dance on Broadway. In the second half of the show, when I saw the face of that young man, dancing his heart out, I thought, he doesn't have to know or second guess...it’s simply in his heart. It was wonderful and inspiring. And it made me want to dance as well. Not in the literal sense. I just want to have a smile on my face like that kid on the stage. That smile comes from the sheer joy of doing what you love. I think in life, everyone wants to smile like that.

The flip side of good news, unfortunately is bad news. Ah, the New York Jets. They lost their championship game tonight, which is indeed a shame, certainly no joy or large smiles in this household. I tell my husband they have a rookie quarterback and a new coach, but it’s no consolation. My poor darling is devastated. A long suffering Jets fan, he was truly hoping for a trip to the Super Bowl. It's not to be.

So tonight I deal with my own suffering Billy Elliot. A sad soul dear Dan is, wishing that things had been different. A touchdown pass caught, a first down made. Jet fans did fare much better than the coal miners in Billy Elliot. They lost their strike and were defeated. It was a devastating loss, they never recovered. Certainly no Super Bowl for them. With the Jets, at least we have next year, another chance. And with baseball around the corner, my Billy will soon have another reason to smile.