Being a former
shy person I can empathize with anyone who has inhibitions about
expressing themselves in public - especially singing. When asked,
many people would admit to singing in the shower, but few would
claim the courage to sing in front of anyone else. Most people
would say they’re afraid of other people’s judgments
if they were to do such a thing, even if they did it well. Yet
it’s more the case of our own judgment of ourselves that
interferes with the kind of freedom of expression required to
take such risks.
After a lifetime of confronting these fears and walking through
them, I cannot legitimately claim to be shy, even though I recognize
the child inside is still deathly afraid of looking stupid in
front of a group. Come to think of it, there have been a few
instances where I did look pretty foolish, some while giving
a speech or teaching, and others while performing musically.
But it’s all about learning to love the “fool”
inside, isn’t it? That part of each one of us that, in
spite of our best efforts, will stutter over words or sing off
key. Perhaps the saying should be, “Learn to love the
fool inside - even in public.”
About a week ago my wife, Doreen, and I were sitting having
a nice brunch at one of our favorite health food stores, Mother’s
Market, when we heard what first sounded like a radio that had
been turned up somewhere in the store. It soon dawned on us
that the singing was actually coming from an elderly lady, all
of about five feet tall, in the middle of the produce section.
She was visible just a few feet from where we were sitting,
and although we couldn’t quite make out the words to the
song she was singing, her voice was sweet and melodic. She was
belting out a tune a capella, and you could
tell that she was having a great time.
Looking around, I saw that several people had stopped what they
were doing to listen, some laughing and shaking their heads
at the brashness of this woman. Most everyone around us was
smiling, obviously affected by this burst of spontaneous and
creative expression.
My curiosity compelled me to check this out a little closer
and I also wondered if she took requests, so I walked over to
where she was standing between the oranges and the mangoes.
I noted her sweatshirt which said, “I (heart) Jesus; Jesus
(heart) me.” I could see that her rejoicing was as much
about expressing her love and passion through this outrageous
yet harmless performance than about her faith alone. I approached
her while she was still singing and I asked her to sing one
of my favorite songs. She held a finger up as if to say, “just
one minute while I finish this song.” I signaled okay,
then whispered to her as she continued, “Can you please
sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone next?’”
She nodded without interrupting the song in Spanish she was
singing, and I returned to the restaurant.
When she finished her performance we applauded along with several
others. Then she started in with “You’ll Never Walk
Alone.” Tears came to my eyes when I heard the first lines
of the song: “When you walk through a storm hold your
head up high . . .” It triggered a memory of when I was
just eight years old my (now deceased) older brother had sung
it in a performance of the musical Carousel for the
high school play, and I fell in love with the song then. Since
that day it’s always had special meaning for me and always
brings joy to my heart.
As she sang passionately and with great gusto, she slowly walked
from where she’d been standing in the produce section
over to the restaurant where we were seated, smiling and looking
directly at me the whole time. She arrived at the entrance just
as she was singing the last few lines:
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone!
Teary-eyed and with a lump in my throat, I thanked her, and
we each did a “Namasté” bow towards one another.
Once again many of us applauded as she waved good-bye and walked
out the door. Never did get her name, and most likely we won’t
see her again, but she gave us a beautiful gift and a memory
that we could cherish for a long, long time.
Amazing how this woman’s willingness to take a risk by
expressing her joy and love in the midst of a busy health food
store affected so many of us so positively. It lifted our spirits
and shifted the atmosphere in the store to where everyone seemed
at least a little bit happier.
Anyone for singing?
Dr. Steven D. Farmer is the author of the best-selling
Animal Spirit Guides, the Power Animal Oracle Cards,
Power Animals, Sacred Ceremony, Adult Children of Abusive Parents,
and the newly released guided meditation CD, Messages
from Your Animal Spirit Guides. He’s also host
of his own radio show, The Shamanic Hotline on HayHouseRadio.com.
Dr. Farmer is a shamanic practitioner, ordained minister, and
former psychotherapist. He makes his home in Laguna Beach, California
and Hawaii with his wife, Doreen Virtue. For further information,
go to www.PowerAnimals.com
