We Should Sing

I don’t call myself a singer by any stretch. I can carry a tune just fine and know when I am out of tune and can even usually fix it before it sounds too bad but even though I occasionally sing in front of many people I generally won’t sing in front of anyone unless they are singing too. Singing is such a personal thing. If I’m singing then I am opening myself up to being judged. I’m exposing myself, letting people hear my imperfections. I don’t want to do that. I only want people to see my good side, to know the things I am proficient at, to see me excel at what I do.

This is why singing is so good, especially in a group. Anytime I’m in a group setting and a sing-a-long breaks out (which has maybe happened twice) I always think, “This is stupid. What a dumb idea.” But when we are done I’ve always had a good time and feel closer to the people I was singing with. I think it’s the willingness to open yourself up to other people to show your real self. A blog I did a while back called ‘risking stupid’ eluded to this idea too. Allowing yourself to open up and not hide your real self can be so empowering. It is also almost always enjoyable.

I think about being at dances. I never want to start dancing when things get started. I am so afraid of looking like a fool. Eventually I go through this whole thought process though and get the nerve to jump in there and make a fool of myself anyway. By the end I’ve had a great time and wish I had joined in sooner.

Being open and vulnerable and real is all anyone wants from the people around them. This is likely why this whole blogging thing has taken off. For some reason us bloggers seem to be able to express our true selves when we have the time to sit and write it down. I hope by being real and vulnerable in my blogs I will be held accountable to everything I say. As much as I hate typing that, it is the reason I write in the first place, to grow as a person and not stagnate.

So, all that said, we should sing in church and with our friends and with our families to grow our communities and become closer. Before we had TV and radio and computers, we did this all the time. Maybe it is something we need to get back to?

GL