I had the best laugh, the kind where involuntary tears flow and your stomach muscles and ribs actually hurt you. You know the kind... If you know me well, then chances are that being around me for any length of time will produce a situation where this sort of laughter is necessary just to survive the random weird things that happen around me.
I was with my kids and a good friend at Buca's restaurant on the Plaza in Kansas City, and we were leaving through the hallway near the kitchen entrance when I just started belting out a song very loudly, I suppose it was because at that moment the song popped into my head and I had an overwhelming urge to sing. Anyways, I turn around to make sure my peeps are following me only to find that the person receiving the brunt of my impromptu concert is an innocent bystander who is extremely perplexed by a woman singing Sara Bareilles' "Brave" to her. My friend is standing behind the woman who's following me, and I believe that my three girls and my friend fell to their knees laughing their heads off, literally. My beautiful masterpiece of music stops abruptly, ending my adherence to the song's lyrics.
The unsuspecting woman I serenaded probably got a good chuckle after she left, I'm sure. More importantly, she got a loud encouragement to be brave. :) I also provided great dose of laughter to my friend and daughters, probably added three months to their lifespans. And, I just have to take it in stride because this sort of thing always finds it's way into my existence. Singing to strangers and almost peeing my pants from laughter is just a normal day for me.
The song "Brave" has a terrific message, one that I've been trying to speak into my daughters (and random strangers) since that night at Buca's. Why? Well, because honest transparency and authenticity is very important, even when you're young...especially when you're young.
Transparency happens a lot more commonly as one ages, maybe because age brings confidence. In some cases, transparency is definitely enhanced by uninhibited craziness or by varying levels of hormones. Transparency implies truth, and it's a recommended way to live, but you need to possess bravery to live a transparent life.
Authenticity is whatever it is that makes us reach out more to be our authentic selves, and it often comes at an age when there are numerous mistakes lying in the wake of our lives. Authentic living looks like the absence of show, and it's void of the knowledge of popularity and is backed by a strong sense of self...authentic living also requires bravery in order to embrace it.
Why is it that I want to be brave enough to be myself now when half of my life is over? If I had the "don't care what anyone thinks of me" attitude and "I'm going to help as many people as I can" outlook on life that I embrace now when I was 17, I feel like I would've done more good or stood up for more injustice. But, maybe I would've just gotten a few tattoos and hopped on the back of the motorcycle of the guy with the biggest blue eyes and the most piercings I could find...who knows? We never will know the answer because I did not possess the bravery it took to be transparent or my authentic self.
I hid a lot, and I followed the paths that pleased other people.
A bright side is that my lack of bravery, young age and insecurity might have been the reason I'm not in Hell's Angels today, but it also leaves me with a few regrets. I should've gotten an art degree or at least some sort of degree in literature, instead...I followed the path of least risk for my life. I followed the path that I knew I could be successful in- again, no risks. Back in the day, I definitely wouldn't have sung to a complete stranger!
When I read the Divergent series of books, the group of people I least identify with is Candor, not because I'm a liar but because I don't speak up. I omit truth to appease people.
The craziest thing I've ever done in my adult life that was a conscious decision was to dye parts of my hair purple and take my kids TPing. So...now that I'm braver, don't be surprised if you see me out on the street on a motorcycle or getting my cartilage pierced. Or not, you never know.
I want my kids to be braver than I was. I want them to be their authentic self and live a transparent life. It is never too late to be an example for others to follow, so that's what I'm trying to do as I spread my life out to others...even poor, unsuspecting patrons of Buca's.
Don't hide, and stand up for injustice wherever you see it!
Sara Bareilles "Brave"
You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love
Or you can start speaking up
Nothings gonna hurt you the way that words do and they settle neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you...
Say what you wanna say and let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave with what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave.
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave
Everybody's been there, everybody's been stared down by the enemy
Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing
Bow down to the mighty
Don't run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is.
Innocence, your history of silence won't do you any good
Did you think it would?
Let your words be anything but empty
Why don't you tell them the truth?
Say what you wanna say and let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave with what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave.
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave
I was with my kids and a good friend at Buca's restaurant on the Plaza in Kansas City, and we were leaving through the hallway near the kitchen entrance when I just started belting out a song very loudly, I suppose it was because at that moment the song popped into my head and I had an overwhelming urge to sing. Anyways, I turn around to make sure my peeps are following me only to find that the person receiving the brunt of my impromptu concert is an innocent bystander who is extremely perplexed by a woman singing Sara Bareilles' "Brave" to her. My friend is standing behind the woman who's following me, and I believe that my three girls and my friend fell to their knees laughing their heads off, literally. My beautiful masterpiece of music stops abruptly, ending my adherence to the song's lyrics.
The unsuspecting woman I serenaded probably got a good chuckle after she left, I'm sure. More importantly, she got a loud encouragement to be brave. :) I also provided great dose of laughter to my friend and daughters, probably added three months to their lifespans. And, I just have to take it in stride because this sort of thing always finds it's way into my existence. Singing to strangers and almost peeing my pants from laughter is just a normal day for me.
The song "Brave" has a terrific message, one that I've been trying to speak into my daughters (and random strangers) since that night at Buca's. Why? Well, because honest transparency and authenticity is very important, even when you're young...especially when you're young.
Transparency happens a lot more commonly as one ages, maybe because age brings confidence. In some cases, transparency is definitely enhanced by uninhibited craziness or by varying levels of hormones. Transparency implies truth, and it's a recommended way to live, but you need to possess bravery to live a transparent life.
Authenticity is whatever it is that makes us reach out more to be our authentic selves, and it often comes at an age when there are numerous mistakes lying in the wake of our lives. Authentic living looks like the absence of show, and it's void of the knowledge of popularity and is backed by a strong sense of self...authentic living also requires bravery in order to embrace it.
Why is it that I want to be brave enough to be myself now when half of my life is over? If I had the "don't care what anyone thinks of me" attitude and "I'm going to help as many people as I can" outlook on life that I embrace now when I was 17, I feel like I would've done more good or stood up for more injustice. But, maybe I would've just gotten a few tattoos and hopped on the back of the motorcycle of the guy with the biggest blue eyes and the most piercings I could find...who knows? We never will know the answer because I did not possess the bravery it took to be transparent or my authentic self.
I hid a lot, and I followed the paths that pleased other people.
A bright side is that my lack of bravery, young age and insecurity might have been the reason I'm not in Hell's Angels today, but it also leaves me with a few regrets. I should've gotten an art degree or at least some sort of degree in literature, instead...I followed the path of least risk for my life. I followed the path that I knew I could be successful in- again, no risks. Back in the day, I definitely wouldn't have sung to a complete stranger!
When I read the Divergent series of books, the group of people I least identify with is Candor, not because I'm a liar but because I don't speak up. I omit truth to appease people.
The craziest thing I've ever done in my adult life that was a conscious decision was to dye parts of my hair purple and take my kids TPing. So...now that I'm braver, don't be surprised if you see me out on the street on a motorcycle or getting my cartilage pierced. Or not, you never know.
I want my kids to be braver than I was. I want them to be their authentic self and live a transparent life. It is never too late to be an example for others to follow, so that's what I'm trying to do as I spread my life out to others...even poor, unsuspecting patrons of Buca's.
Don't hide, and stand up for injustice wherever you see it!
Sara Bareilles "Brave"
You can be amazing
You can turn a phrase into a weapon or a drug
You can be the outcast or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love
Or you can start speaking up
Nothings gonna hurt you the way that words do and they settle neath your skin
Kept on the inside and no sunlight
Sometimes a shadow wins
But I wonder what would happen if you...
Say what you wanna say and let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave with what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave.
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave
Everybody's been there, everybody's been stared down by the enemy
Fallen for the fear and done some disappearing
Bow down to the mighty
Don't run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is.
Innocence, your history of silence won't do you any good
Did you think it would?
Let your words be anything but empty
Why don't you tell them the truth?
Say what you wanna say and let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave with what you want to say
And let the words fall out
Honestly, I wanna see you be brave.
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I just wanna see you
I wanna see you be brave
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