New York has a way of testing you right when you have plans. Every single time.
This year, my daughter and I kept our annual Broadway tradition alive. One night, one show, one chance to step away from everything else and just be together.
But I wasn’t feeling great. I’d had a food reaction earlier and was still dealing with it. I took some Benadryl Clear, hoping it would help me push through. The tickets were already bought, and I wasn’t about to miss this.
Walking into the theater, I was determined. But honestly? The first act was rough. My eyes kept getting heavy. My body was fighting me. I tried so hard to concentrate and stay alert, but I know I drifted in and out.
Still, I was there. Even in a fog, I chose to be present. I chose our tradition over staying home. I chose my daughter over my own discomfort.
The show – Stranger Things: The First Shadow – is a dark prequel set in the 1950s. It tells Henry Creel’s origin story, showing how he became Vecna. The visuals were incredible. The atmosphere was intense. And once my body settled and the fog lifted in the second half, I really got into it. The story came alive, and I was all in.
But the real magic wasn’t happening on stage.
It was sitting next to my daughter. It was keeping a tradition we started years ago, before life got this complicated. It was showing up even when I felt terrible. It was the reminder that the best memories don’t require perfect conditions.
New York teaches you that. Broadway teaches you that. Life teaches you that.
Sometimes you’re tired. Sometimes you zone out. Sometimes you spend the first twenty minutes wandering around because the ticket scanner isn’t working.
But if you show up with your whole heart, the second act always finds you.
And that’s exactly what happened.
Our tradition survived, not because everything went smoothly, but because we chose each other anyway.
And that’s what matters most.

Reflections #NYCLife #BroadwayTradition #MotherDaughterTime #StrangerThingsTheFirstShadow #ShowUpAnyway #CityMoments #QualityTimeMatters #PowerPoisedPriscilla #LifeInMotion #MemoriesInTheMaking