Don't Ever Let Fear Stop You.

Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting in the large dining room of a nursing home, trying to take deep, calming breaths.  It was my second week volunteering there.  Last week, I just showed up with a group from Y-Serve (BYU's service organization) without realizing that the purpose of the visit was to perform something. It's called Utah Healing Arts, in fact. 

Last week I brought nothing.  This week, I brought some piano sheet music.

I sat in the back, trying to breathe deeply through my mouth, trying to forget the funky smell that was in the air, pep talking myself while my fellow BYU students played the guitar, sang, and even hula danced. 

I was the last person to perform.  I stepped up to the grand piano and shakily arranged my music, apologized to the wheelchair-bound crowd for my stage fright, and then began.

I knew the song very well, but my mind was foggy and my fingers were tensed, and I hit wrong note after wrong note.  Awkward pauses and disjointed transitions littered the air as my notes jumbled all over each other.  I just kept playing until the last note, nodded at the applause of wrinkled hands, gave a smile and eagerly sat down.

"Oh well," I thought.  I did my best, and that was okay.  The thing is, I knew I was going to be nervous, and I knew I hadn't practiced that song in a while, but I wanted to do it anyway.  I just wanted to contribute something. And I did!  So it was enough to make me happy.

As we were leaving, I began going around to say goodbye to everyone.  An old man in a wheelchair with a breathing tube in his nose took both of my hands and complimented me on my piano-playing.  Then he looked right at me and said, in a wheezy voice, "Don't EVER let fear stop you from doing something."

So I just wanted to say to that man:  Thank you.  And I will definitely try.