Karaoke

Tonight I went to a karaoke bar.

No, I did not sing. My husband’s sister did, though. We went to celebrate her birthday. When her friend Hope invited us, we thought it was an odd choice of location. It didn’t surprise us that she likes to go out to nightclubs, but karaoke did surprise us.

My sister-in-law, who is 43 today, got up to sing “I Love Rock & Roll.” She did great, though she messed up the last part. Doesn’t matter. Karaoke isn’t about how well you perform, is it? It’s about having the guts to get up in front of people and be a spectacle.

It looked like fun, and I was tempted. But the thing is, I couldn’t carry a tune if it had a handle. I have trouble getting up in front of people, too. I do it when I have to, but that’s enough. I pored through the book just for fun, though, to choose the one I’d sing if I momentarily lost my sanity or was strongly coerced. I finally settled on “Redneck Woman”, mainly because it encourages audience participation so I wouldn’t feel completely stranded up there.

That’s the problem I have with public speaking, that feeling of being stranded. I get up and look out at the people watching me, and I get scared. They’re thinking, maybe, “what the hell is she babbling about?” You know how it feels to make a joke in a speech, and nobody laughs? Occasionally I’ll see a smile and a nod, or a little chuckle when I say something vaguely humorous, and it’ll pull me through. Whew.

Maybe karaoke would be good for me. Because when you think about it, some of the best karaoke singers aren’t great singers, they just pick great tunes and have fun with them. Some of the best real singers are that way, too. And it’s that way in life – confidence covers a multitude of sins. Even if you’re good at what you do, hang your head in embarrassment and you might as well stink.

Trying, though, is at least halfway toward succeeding. Something to ponder, isn’t it?