Packed House

Bunny, I and others played to a packed house Easter Sunday. *Bunny is the cute stuffed rabbit I bought at Walmart as a potential stunt double.* While we entered as a parade of characters, I was dancing with Bunny and followed the Nursery Fairy to the podium where I placed the plush doll in her hands and went to my seat next to the microphone where I provided the voice of the Velveteen Rabbit.

Everything went smoothly, a few mistakes were made but the recovery was great, lending to a more realistic presentation. One of the congregants told me later that she couldn't figure out where the rabbit's voice was coming from until she saw my bunny ears behind the piano.

When the magical transformation time came, I emerged from my hiding spot, exchanging places with the brown and white doll. At this point in the story, the rabbit has become really real and goes off to live with genetic rabbits who had made fun of her before. So I sat gracefully on the step just below where the two "male" rabbits were seated.

At this point, the girl visits the garden, where the rabbits peek from the bracken to look at her. Instinct told me to stay in a low rabbit crouch as the narrator described the curiosity. Shortly afterward, I stood and helped address the congregation with the final words of the play.

It was a magical moment.

The minister in her fairy wings introduced me as a "special guest who is going to give a real life example of "Becoming Real."

As I stepped up to the podium, I totally forgot to remove my rabbit ears as I launched into my carefully crafted speech, editting sections as I spoke. Apparently, when I said "I was born a boy," a young boy suddenly looked up and said "what?" in front of his mother so quietly that only she took notice.

Completing the service, I followed the minister to the back of the sanctuary by the exit, where a long stream of people offered me congratulations, hand shakes and hugs. One little boy said, barely audibly, "Sophie's so brave." Someone said, "Thank you for sharing your reality." "Courage" and "sharing" were the terms I heard most. Another said she was moved, and afterwards people were still seeking me out to offer praise. Not everyone put forward their hand or offered a hug, but a great many did.

Outside in the main hall, after I had gathered my things and my purse hung from from my shoulder like a chandelier, one man who had a powerful ambience and was alone gave me quiet congratulations. Debbie or Jasmine told me that they were glad that I got a chance to talk to Joe.

Another woman caught me mid-step and said, "You're out of the closet now." When I replied, "Now I can go back to stealth," she said, "Not with this crowd."

It seems I may have accidentally bulldozed my metaphorical closet down.

Hugs and God Bless,

Sophie