TODAY’S LAUGH: Improv Part Two started this week. How did I feel, as a seasoned veteran after eight weeks of Improv Part One, including that public performance?
Scared. Not quite as scared as I was before, but still scared. Especially when we danced the chicken dance in class. (Before this I was the one person in America who had never 
danced the chicken dance.)
It’s the potential public humiliation that’s scary. (It’s why we always dance the chicken dance in groups–never as a solo.)
But doing improv means trying to purposely humiliate yourself in public. And I did. I faced my fears. I humiliated myself. YES!
TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: We all face fearful things. Even if we have voluntarily undertaken the task, we can still be afraid. The good news is we can feel the fear and go ahead and do it anyway.
It takes courage to risk, to fail and to try again. It takes courage to be less than perfect, to learn and to grow.
A paraplegic man learned to ride his horse again. He said, “I fell 500 times before I got it right.” It takes courage to get back on the horse.
It takes courage to try again. It takes courage to forgive. It takes courage to forget. It takes courage to love.
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is that little voice at the end of the day that says, ‘I’ll try again tomorrow’.” (Anne Hunninghake)
So true. Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it clucks like a chicken.
What scary thing are you facing? “If I were brave, I’d…” Feel the fear and do it anyway.
May you be blessed for your courage today. And encourage someone else to be brave, too.
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HAPPY BLOGAVERSARY celebration continues: As my THANK YOU to you, I’m giving away SIX BOOKS to six winners- your choice of my titles.
If you haven’t already entered the drawing from September 15 to September 28, 2009, use “Contact Mary†with “HAPPY BLOGAVERSARY” in the subject line.
If you’d like to include a note about your favorite post of the past, or just how “Today’s Laugh†has helped you, I’d LOVE to read that!
Enter for yourself and please pass the word to your friends. THANKS!
(One entry per verified email address. US Mailing addresses only. Winners will be drawn on Monday September 28, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. (CDT) and announced on the website on 9/29/09.)
From Amy: As a recent member of the MOTHER IN LAW club (Saturday) I confess I think the Chicken Dance was the dumbest song on the DJ’s list..and nearly the best attended. Am I missing something?
MP )
(Welcome to the MIL club! And yes, everytime the Chicken Dance comes up, all I can think is… WHY, people, WHY?
Mary Kay says: “I’ve always feared the chicken dance! I grew up in a small, everybody knows your business town and at every wedding dance the polka band would play the chicken dance. I always sat out for fear I would embarrass myself dancing! But back to a real fear, at my job there is sometimes a lot of fear stating truthful facts and opinions…and I’m not getting any younger and am tired…So I’m going to stand my ground and not “chicken dance” around my feelings anymore!”
MP)
(Love it! Dance away!