An Eighth Shot of Espresso: Coffee and Creativity on Mum's Third Shift

Nervous  before the curtain rises  all muscles tense in anticipation  dancers keep moving so their muscles  stay limber musicians tune to the perfect note actors pace or visualize their perfect opening night however you prepare for the night the crowd hushes then the lights come up and the audience applause  fills you with a strange calm  as you focus on the performance

Look into the mirror Do the rituals speak the incantations See who stares back. Some transformations are only skin deep hair color, eye color face putty, padding in cheeks. Others stretch deeper permeate the soul become a different character leave the normal behind. How long can you keep it up? This charade, this facade Just for a night on the stage or for a stretch of eternity?