I'm going down to #NYC tomorrow for my uncle's birthday and taking him to the #opera, opening night of La Forza del Destino at the #MetropolitanOpera. He's been a huge opera fan for most of his life, and he can't really get there on his own anymore, and I think this may be the first time he's going since the start of the pandemic, so this is a Big Deal. I am a bundle of nerves; there's so much that could go wrong! 1/6
To start, there's #COVID. I'm still being #CovidCautious so generally speaking I wouldn't go to the theatre on my own, but this is extraordinarily important to my uncle and who knows how much longer he'll be able to make it to the opera, so for him I will risk it. I'll wear a good N95 mask the whole time (which alas means no restaurants), and I'll use Enovid, and it'll probably be fine. But probably isn't definitely, and my uncle won't mask so I have to worry about him getting sick. 2/6
Then there's driving in NYC, which I hate. I have parking reserved for between when I get there and when we're driving to the opera, and for during the opera, and for between the end of the opera and when I leave NYC the following day. I've made all the reservations sufficiently long to ensure that they'll definitely cover the times when I need to park. They'll probably be fine, but what if I get there and they tell me they don't have space? Ugh. 3/6
I'm driving instead of taking the train and using cabs, rideshare, or paratransit to/from the opera, because my uncle is wheelchair-bound. He's told me plenty of horror stories about rides failing to show up and about cabs and rideshares refusing to take him because of his wheelchair. My uncle may be exaggerating the situation, but the stories ring true enough to me that I'm going to stick with transportation under my control for this Very Important Day. This is something I can control. 4/6
Speaking of my uncle being wheelchair-bound, I have to worry about getting him into and out of my car twice, and about navigating the Met with a wheelchair, and about making it to our seats on time at the start of the show and at the end of each intermission, and about getting him to/from the bathroom if he needs it during intermissions, and if I don't take enough care and he falls and gets hurt I'll be wracked with guilt. This is probably what I'm most worried about. 5/6
I've done everything I can to make sure everything goes well, and I've left a margin for error everywhere I could, and I know the odds are that everything will be fine. I also know how important this is to my uncle, and I love him and want to do this for him. So I'm going to buck up and do it, and try my best to live in the moment and enjoy it. I am not an opera aficionado, but I can nevertheless appreciate a good production, and that is what I hope to do. Wish me luck! 6/6
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