To stand on a stage and receive applause is a very wonderful thing. I remember working on a show once where I was dressed by a woman who had been quite the socialite in the late 40’s and 50’s in germany, and the gowns she lent me for the show were so beautiful. I wanted to steal them. Backless, draped, yards and yards of fabric. Halter necks, square necks, sheaths, golden fabrics. I was transformed from a little mother into a star. 
At the end of the show, I would stand on the stage in front of a thousand people in a gored blue satin gown, draped and tucked in such a way that I felt swathed. My hair just so, my skin glistening from the lights. My waist tiny and long. I would take one step back, the small of my foot to the heel of the other, then back to my toe and drop into a stage sweeping curtsey. 
I remember rising to a wall of applause and my arms rose up to the gods, both arms felt as though I could hold the vaulted ceiling up myself I was so strong. My feet rose off the boards as I reached up. My smile became a laugh of pure pleasure and the crowd roared again and laughed with me as I dropped into another curtsey of pure supplication and bowed to the people in the highest reaches of the theatre. The cheap seats up in the gods that were simple benches. Where my students and children usually were. 
Then I would reach out my long slim arms indicating the back stage and we would all clap for the critical back stage crew, and all who worked with me. As the applause drops to a simmer, there is a tiny moment when it is exactly right to leave the stage, at this moment, my fellow performers and I would link hands and bow as one, holding it for just a moment, a bow of gratitude, of thanks and we would turn as one and with a kick of our slippered heels through the fairy dust of applause, we would swoop from the stage. 
All this would come about again and again during my career in the theatre, but a little voice always said to me – remember this. Tag this moment. Do not forget… 
Because who will applaud you for making the perfect meal for your family. Who will applaud you for getting the words right with a child. Who will applaud you when you manage to bring a lamb into the world and keep him alive against the odds competely alone in a barn. Who will applaud you for spending hours with your mother as she dies and finding no words at the end. 
Who will applaud you when you see the light finally shine into a students eyes. Or when you turn a basket of tomatoes into a jar of sauce. Or the perfect image appears on its photo paper in the developing tray. Or for stopping. Or starting. Or just not falling. Who will applaud when you hit a wall of weariness and depression and wish you could run as far as you can but don’t. Who will applaud when you put the final word onto a story and print it out just so you can hold the pages. Or take your brush from the canvas and say to yourself I have finished. Or remember a dream. Or tell a teenager well done, Really good job and watch him try to hide his smile.
And who will applaud you? I will. We will. You will. This is one of the most wonderful gifts we have to bestow. That simple clap. Those simple words. Well done honey. Your smile is most precious to you but when shared it is more powerful than the clapping of a thousand pairs of hands. A smile is not a smile unless shared. Remember to applaud those around you. Strangers or not. Just saying -‘thank you, you did that so beautifully’ to a waitress will leave her smiling for the day. Just telling the lady across the road that her garden is gorgeous will be heard and appreciated more than you can imagine.
And for me, remember to applaud yourself. Look how far you have come. Look at how well you have done. Look how clever you are, then look in the mirror and see how beautiful you are in there behind your beautiful eyes. Just look at that one thing you did today that deserves applause and sweep down into a curtsy of acceptance and joy. Say thank you, you are right, I did do well. This is wonderful too. If someone rises from their seat and says fantastic work. Remember to nod your head into a metaphorical bow, a gentle curtsey and say thank you. Receive your applause with all that generous dignity. Accepting praise is magnificent for everyone.
There was a rule in my classroom. I taught drama remember and everybody performed. Even visitors to the classroom had to join the games. With all my might I would gently push and cajole and sweet talk every single child and young adult out onto the tiny stage space in our ugly prefab in the school grounds of this tough school. Again and again they performed. And The Rule was that you must applaud loudly and heartily every time for everyone. Always. Every single tiny step was a success. Because my most powerful tool in the classroom was applause. You are good. Well done. To watch a child drink in that applause is a wondrous thing.
You have applause too. You have the power to bring good innocent applause into your life and their lives. It must be shared.
Good morning. Even in our little blog world we share wondrous applause. We share virtual smiles. We say beautiful job. You are a fantastic farmy friend. I sincerely hope you know how much I appreciate you visiting, even though I do not get out to visit you often enough. Thank you. I am clapping from way out here on the prairies, I hope you can hear me. Now take your bows.
Yesterday went smoothly. Though I have to admit to holding my breath every time I turned the pump on. Every day is a good day and yesterday was good AND calm. Such a relief. For Daisy as well I am sure. It is 6.02 am. Another clear day. Can you hear Daisy mooing? You are right, she is bossy. But at the end of every milking she gets a slap on the rump and a Well Done Boss. Off you go darling. Off you go. Go eat your nice hay now.
celi
What happened on this day a year ago Puss and Gumboots.. the little kitty and my favourite beet salad.
The Kitchen's Garden 
97 responses to “Applause on a Saturday”
I’ll start with applause for you. This is a beautifully written post and it absolutely was the way to start my day. Thank you. Have a great Saturday!
Celi, what a beautiful post, filled with so much love!
🙂 Mandy xo
Nice post. I think everyone’s said what I’m thinking so look for the guy in the cheap seats applauding like a mad person:)
I see you in the peanut gallery! c
Thank you, Celi for being you! A very kind and generous soul with words to magnify your incredible spirit. And just what I needed to hear as i prepare fis so interesting to learn about how past experiences also shape us and anchor us. Wonderful to read this post. I will share on my blo if you don’t mind!
..oh dear it posted before I could edit! ‘just what I needed to hear as I frantically clean, set things in order for work and my family and prepare for the arrival of baby #3! ”
Grand applause to you! Have a wonderful day.
I knew you were getting close and if you are frantically cleaning then maybe you are very close. Good luck darling girl.. babies are wondrous little beings for sure..i bet you are a fantastic Mum.. applause to you honey.. c
Thank you for sharing this on your blog I do not mind at all.. that is wonderful. You have a beautiful day!! c
What a wonderful “first read of the morning”. We are often reminded to be thankful and to thank others, but giving applause takes it beyond that. Beautifully written!
Good morning June and thank you.. c
What a beautiful post! I applaud you every day for your hard work and amazing amounts of endless energy. I would have loved to see you perform “in the day”.
So glad things were calm for you yesterday. Have a lovely day! ~ April
I had very good focus and timing which together with the ability to inhabit another character enabled me to make them weep. However just quietly I was a much better director than I was a performer. This was my calling for a wee while. Training and directing emerging actors. But I needed to have trod the boards first. And i absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed it. oh the stories from those days! My children thought going to the theatre meant taking a sleeping bag and your homework to the theatre for the day to watch rehearsals!! ! c
This is so great, and so apt. How lucky we all are to have one another to celebrate the day’s tiny victories with.
You are absolutely right Siobhan, this blog world has allowed us to develop such wonderful friendships.. technology at its best i think! c
no milk sprayed on you today? lol
this was a fantastic blog. a reminder that even for a small person like me it is important to acknowledge even strangers, and to give credit to Al, for every little thing he is able to do! thank you
Al was glorious yesterday on his couch opening his parcel .. though it did not show on his face, somewhere in there he must have had a tiny light of joy. You are probably the only one who can see that joy, even when his face will not be directed into a smile by his mind.. you are where you need to be for the moment.. doing a wonderful thing.. just eat well and take special care.. c
thank you my friend, have a great day!!
A muddy handclap from here – dirt under the nails, scratches from bambles, stings from nettles. Still clapping. The encouragement from blogging is immense. Everytime someone says something positive it’s like the first time. Magic. Bravo Miss Celi!
Oh you have had a good day then, muddy clapping! morning claire c
“Well done honey.” Well done, honey.
Alice you are a charm.. thank you.. c
Dearest Celi, your post is beautiful, heartwarming and has my Mom’s words singing through it. Wherever she was, wherever she would go, she would always do or say things to bring smiles to the faces of others. My siblings and I used to joke about it, but now I find myself doing the same thing! Isn’t that wild, like my Mom is coming through me! Even on her obituary which she wrote herself she put, “In lieu of flowers, Toni asks that you put a smile on someone’s face, or call a friend and take them to lunch, or visit someone in a nursing home. Find ways to spread joy to others.” Such a special, wonderful woman. I miss her so! And thank you for your encouragement Celi, to clap for ourselves as well! So very important!!! Happy, happy weekend! Di
Good morning Di. I love your Mum. Even when they are no longer here walking among us it is a rare and gorgeous person who still leaves her words for you to pick up as you go through your day. She must have been wonderful. I can see how you would miss her. Wouldn’t it be so dreadful if you did not. How sad those people must be. Have a lovely day. I hope you are a wee bit cooler. .. your friend c
You deserve double for all that hand milking 😉
I don’t have words of my own to express what I want to, so I will borrow yours. “thank you, you did that so beautifully”.
It is raining here in SE MN — hope you are enjoying some too
Well done! Excellent post. Simple kind words mean so much. Thanks ( and have a nice day!)
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!! Today is my birthday Cinders…and this was the perfect gift to start it with!! Thank-you so much for this…it was beautiful and such a powerful message for us all!!
Sending love to you!!