Santa Monica Pier.

Kasey Chambers on stage, singing Not Pretty Enough.

In front of me, a little girl with no sense of rhythm, dancing awkwardly in her blue hoodie, having a blast. She has not yet gained Kasey’s self-consciousness and pain; she’s comfortable in her body, happy to jerk her arms and legs about in front of a crowd.

I whisper in my heart, “May it last, little girl. May it last.”