Singing My Way into the New Year

A music teacher once told my mother that I had perfect pitch as a child. I guess that’s why I know I can’t sing – I can hear how far (really far) off key I am.

But even though singing has always been one of my biggest insecurities, I decided to face my fears and bring in the New Year with a therapeutic session of karaoke.

And while I won’t be auditioning for American Idol anytime soon, it felt really good to overcome my fear of singing in public.

I think 2011 is going to be a great year.

The First Baby Steps are the Hardest, Especially in Ice Skates

One down – nine to go!

Even though the execution was far from spectacular, it was a glorious feeling to glide inch across the ice in my pair of rental skates this weekend.

You see it was a victory on more than one level. It’s been close to twenty years since I last laced up because I’ve always let my fear (of falling, hitting my head, my knee, any part of my body really) keep me away. But for the past few years, I’ve been hearing about the outdoor ice rink in the sculpture garden downtown and wanting to experience it firsthand. So I added it to my list of goals for this year, knowing that would be the motivation I needed.

So while this achievement may not seem like much to some people, it meant a lot to me. And even though I was probably not on the ice more than 15 minutes (thanks to the slowest moving line ever and impending dinner reservations) I felt great! I had overcome my fear, and ensuing procrastination, and accomplished a goal I had set for myself.

I may have white knuckled my way through it, but I’ll save letting go for the next time around.