Viva, Las Vegas, day 3 - I danced

Another late sleep gave way to a lunch at Thomas Keller's Bouchon in the Venetian. A friend of Sarah's joined us, and after a half hour wait we were sitting in a lovely booth. We all enjoyed our food greatly, with Keller's justly renowned pommes frites reminding me that even common dishes can achieve greatness. My Wagyu burger was superb, as were the "Bouchons," three miniature chocolate cakes, each with a different bit of ice cream atop them.

After some time and a movie (Superbad) in our room, we headed out to a gelato snack at Bellagio and our second Cirque show, O. Tonight marked the fifth (I think; I may be off a bit) time I've seen it, and every time it has been glorious. I watched the entire show with a slight smile on my face and magic and wonder filling my heart. I know it's all scripted, and I know they do it ten times a week, week in and week out, but it's still proof of the magic and joy the human heart can feel and human endeavor can produce. We sat in the front row, and we were mesmerized.

An amazing thing also happened. One of the clowns came into the audience and beckoned me to join him onstage. I did. He put out his hands, and I took them, and we danced. In front of 1,800 people, with a man in a clown suit, I danced--and I was not self-conscious for even an instance. I was amazed afterward, but in the moment I was fully present. As a person who's almost always observing, even narrating himself, I'm astonished at how fully immersed I was. Amazing.