"I really do want world peace."

Last night I went to the Tipp by myself. My usual Monday night karaoke buddy was out of the country and I needed a Harp fix. I love the Tipp. I don't really go for the karaoke. I go for the people, the vibe. It's this great little Irish pub in the middle of Dallas. It's my Cheers, ya know? So, ok. Not everybody knows my name. But they know my drink and that's infinitely better:)

Every Monday night they have karaoke. Despite the Dallas lack of appreciation for Johnny Horton and the like, fun has been had there I can assure you. Some of that fun has even been caught on tape . . . Ian, I still have the video somewhere of our Kid/Sheryl duet so don't cross me:)

There I was drinking my Harp (Thanks Kristy!), enjoying the show. When I got there one of the regulars was singing my favorite James Taylor song. It was a bad rendition but good, know what I mean? With this promising start, I continued my passive observation. People came by to say hi, more Harp arrived at my side. Good times. Then people started to ask when I was going to sing and the karaoke guy asked if I was waiting for "everybody else" to arrive before getting on stage. I started to feel a little defensive without knowing why. Realization struck like a punch to the stomach -

I never sing by myself.

Never.

I'm not shy. Ok. Sometimes I'm shy. But not as a rule. And I'm not generally adverse to making a fool of myself. I get up there routinely and sing some really horrible karaoke. And frequently that's stone cold sober! But, again, never by myself.

Not sure how this has previously escaped my attention. And, not exactly sure what it even means. I just know I'm a little disturbed by it. Maybe I take myself a little more seriously than I'd like to admit? This feels important. This seems like something to be overcome.

I am getting perilously close to my 30th birthday. In fact there is only one more Monday night between me and that milestone. I've been thinking a lot lately about what I had hoped to accomplish prior to the big 3-o. Lone karaoke has never been on the list. But everything else - owning my first home, starting a family, world peace, etc. . . - is just so damn intimidating! And not likely to fit into my current time constraints. And so,

Next Monday night, the 22nd of October, I will sing a song. By myself. All alone. No back up singers. Hell, no lead singer. Just me and the stage.

Take that you nasty fourth decade.