May 9th and 10th are two days I will never forget. I did something I never thought I would do. Speak in front of an audience. I was part of, the spoken-word St. Louis production of Listen to Your Mother,. The show, a tribute to mom's everywhere, takes place the weekend of Mother's Day.
I cheated a little bit. My reading was pre-recorded on videotape
When I was being videotaped I was asked to read my essay numerous times to get the reading just right. I don't read out loud well because I tend to run out of breath too quickly and sometimes feel like I am gasping for breath by the time I am finished, but I did it.
My reading was first. It was a little embarrassing seeing myself on the screen. When I heard my voice my first thought was, "My God, I should never open my mouth again. " But then I thought, "That's me. That's how I sound. Accept it and move on." The nice thing about seeing myself was that I saw how much I look like my mother.
Thev2015 LTYM Cast |
I felt like a celebrity. Everyone was congratulating me and there were lots of photos taken. What's most important to me is that I am now part of the history of Listen To your Mother. Something I never thought would be possible for me. The show allowed me to work with and know some very talented people. I made some great friends.
I have always been afraid to put myself out there. After my LTYM experience, I can say, "I did it!"