You May Fall, But Get Up Laughing

–Unless You Really Hurt Yourself

On June 2, 2024, we came together to celebrate. The video below was the culmination of the Journey to The Young People’s Chorus of NYC’s Spring Concert at the United Palace Theater.

I am escorted on the arm of the founder & Artistic Director, Francisco Nuñez.

But hours earlier, he was shouting from the stage, “is she alright? IS SHE ALRIGHT??!!”

I should tell you that my sister-friend Cheryl Burr calls me Lucy…

And for good reason.

Whuh Hav Happun Was…

That morning, during tech rehearsal, while Francisco was conducting a song & I was sitting out in the house, I saw a directorial moment I wanted to tell him about & hastened to the stage.

But in my urgency, I’d forgotten what I was wearing–a long, balloon-legged jumper.

A LONG, balloon-legged jumper…

As I ran down the aisle, the right leg wrapped under my foot & BLAH-DOW! Down I went. It was in two parts, shin, body!

As I was falling, I was well aware that I was just missing the arms of the chairs, GRATEFUL.

In a heap on the floor looking like a body before the police line is drawn around it, I laid there quiet & still for a beat.

Oh yeah & of course this was in front of people in the house & a couple hundred young people on the stage.

There was also a film crew there but I don’t think they saw me.

People rushed to my side, unsure if I was ok…

And then, it happened. Peels of laughter welling up from my toe nails. Quiet at first, undetectable to the spectators.

Then I was in full blown cackles. I couldn’t stop LAUGHING!

People are asking, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?? ARE YOU ALRIGHT??!! I’m laughing too hard to respond.

They get me to sit up. Francisco is yelling from the stage, “IS SHE ALRIGHT, IS SHE ALL-RIGHT???!!!!!!” One person says, “I’m not sure if she’s laughing or crying.”

I was laughing so hard tears were rolling down my face.

They got me to stand up & back to my seat.

The thing that hurt the most? My stomach from laughing so hard, heck, I’m laughing now!

The Moral of The Story Is…

That unless you really hurt yourself, don’t take things so seriously that you can’t laugh at your falls. They happen, but that’s part of this Life’s Journey. If I had concerned myself with the fact that over 200 people saw me fall, that it could’ve been captured by the film crew, or this that or the other, I would’ve cheated myself out of one of my best laughs on record!