Colorado recently enacted a law prohibiting texting and driving. The only thing more dangerous than me texting and driving is me driving while listening to Lady Gaga.
There are a lot of red Honda Accords on the road. How will you know it's me driving(besides the White Sox license plate frame)? Just look to see if the fella is nodding his head and bouncing his shoulders. Maybe his right hand is pointing out the flow of the lyrics. Pull up beside him and you'll see he's singing his precious little heart out.
That's me in the car when music is playing - a singing and dancing fool. (When I'm listening to NPR, not so much singing and dancing) I'm a big believer of singing and dancing in the car. Come to think of it, I'm a big believer in singing and dancing in general. I can do neither very well, but can do both just well enough. I think far too many people are afraid of singing and dancing in public and I don't get it.
I'm sure you've all heard the quote
"Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth."
Mark Twain was a fucking genius. Forget Tom and Huck and those damn jumping frogs - the first two ideas expressed in that quote may be the most beautiful he ever had. I don't know if he was a song and dance man, but his heart was definitely in the right place.
To me, the weirdest thing about people not singing and dancing is I think they really want to, but for some reason are afraid. Look at the popularity of the Electric Slide, the Cupid Shuffle, and the lamest of them all, the Cha Cha Slide. When people are surrounded by others doing the same moves, they feel safe. These are people I think really want to dance. If they didn't want to dance at all, not even these dances would bring them to the floor. Why they're afraid to stake a claim to a spot on the floor and at least sway from side to side is beyond me.
Same thing with karaoke. People will go up if they're singing something in a group, but if it's solo, no way. I'll admit karaoke is much more daunting than getting out on the dance floor, but it's also much more rewarding. The best karaoke for me is bad karaoke. People who are practically or completely tone deaf up there doing their thing is priceless. Those are the people I want to party with. And you don't need to go to karaoke to sing. One of the very best ways to break the ice and develop a rapport with someone is by singing with them. I think we've all found ourselves in the following situation:
You're in the car with an individual or a group of people you don't know very well and conversation is sparse. Then, the song everybody knows comes on and boom - everybody is singing, everybody is sharing a moment, and a connection is made.
Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what I am trying to say with this post. I just found myself singing and dancing my way home from work today and I guess it caused me to reflect a little. So, if you're one of these people who is afraid to cut a little rug or flex the golden pipes, just pretend no one is watching or listening and let it go.
