Someone called me brave last night. Hey, I've been called worse, but I was quick to correct him by pointing out that bravery and drunken foolishness are often confused, but I was flattered none-the-less.
I was at my friend Rob's company Christmas party, and the DJ was also a karaoke host, so people could sign up to sing stuff (or sign their cowokers/competing departments up to sing stuff). It was a hoot. Towards the end of the evening, after massacring several songs each and a couple duets, Rob and I opted to do Paradise by the Dashboard Lights (sorry Meatloaf). Which is when the "brave" comment came out. And that got me thinking...
It didn't cross my mind that it would take courage to get up there and sing. After all, it was a small, non-judgmental group who had consumed a lot of booze. It's just that at the end of my life, I don't want to get to the Pearly Gates and have St. Peter ask me "Remember that karaoke party back in 2008? Did you want to sing something? Well, since you did, why didn't you?" Fear isn't a good reason.
I don't want to be the girl that looks at other people and says "I wish I could be that brave". It's not bravery. It's that I want to have these experiences, I want to try stuff and do stuff and learn stuff, and if that means butchering Eminem's Slim Shady song, then at least I can laugh at myself for doing it, and my friends can laugh at me for doing it. And because they're my friends, they laugh in the good way, and then pick a song to butcher themselves, and on we go.
If you make one New Year's resolution this year, one promise to yourself, make it that you will try one thing, even a small thing, that you have always admired someone else for doing.
We only get one shot at life, ladies and gentlemen. At the end of it, if anyone says to me "Did you do everything you wanted?" I want to be able to answer, "No sir, but not because I didn't try, only because I kept finding new things to do!"
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