From a Distance

My final year at Auburn has been markedly different than the past three. This is true for many reasons, but one of the main ones is my decision to end my AU Singers career. This was not an easy decision last spring. I was nervous about what I would do with all of my time. I knew that, no matter how much I tried to keep up with those Singers friends, it wouldn't be easy and I probably wouldn't see much of them. But I knew that the decision was the right one. My heart wasn't in it. I hated rehearsal. I wasn't having fun. 

Throughout this semester, I have been building upon my Singers-less life slowly. First, it was the first Tuesday of class, when at 3:30 PM, I wasn't in Goodwin rehearsing. It was such a strange feeling, but it was great. Next, I attended rehearsal a few times as a mere spectator. Again, a weird feeling (and they sounded awesome that first day I went back), but I still knew I had made the right decision. Sounds of Auburn in November brought the first time I had seen them actually perform this year. I, honestly, was kind of underwhelmed, and still didn't regret my decision to not be in the group. But this past Sunday was the ultimate test. Fall Show. This is what the entire semester builds up to for an Auburn University Singer. This is big time, the culmination of three and a half months of work.

To be honest, my expectations were not very high. I knew it would be entertaining, but I didn't expect what I got. They were incredible. They sounded great. They looked great. The solos were great. The entire show was just really, really impressive. They exceeded my expectations by far. I enjoyed it so much that I went back Monday night, and it was even better. It is a really weird feeling being on the other side of it: not having gone through all the work, not being SO tired after 5 shows in 3 days, not having a week full of rehearsals the week before the show to go along with a full load of schoolwork. But, regardless of it all, I still don't regret it. My time was up. I got out at the right time. I am so proud of all of my friends who are still there. They did a wonderful job, moving me to fist pumps, tears, and huge smiles many times. They know that I'm their harshest critic, and they impressed that harsh critic, very much so.