While I'm sure that both of our parents loved my sister and me greatly, my sense of competition with a well-behaved and talented older sister led me to be the family mischief-maker. A ballet class recital set the scene for a change in all this, however.
I was assigned the part of a tree, wearing a brown sack.
My dance-proficient sister was selected to play the fairy queen, complete with gauzy, gossamer wings and a silver crown. I was assigned the part of a tree and given a brown canvas sack to wear and a ridiculous headpiece of green paper leaves. All I had to do was to stand very still at the side of the stage. It seemed like another occasion when I would be overshadowed by my sister's talents.
