Visiting my mom in Paris the other week, our long-awaited post covid reunion! We strolled around Paris as you do for a whole week. On a Sunday evening on the banks of the Seine, we happened upon an Irish band.
I was SO excited I had finally found a group of people playing music, and better still IRISH music, for the first time since before the pandemic. To add to the romance, they sat right across from the Notre Dame on the left bank. My heart just fills with excitement every time I hear Irish folk music!
My feet inevitably got a dancing itch. My toes wiggled in my shoes. The energy was growing! I really miss dancing, it has been years since I performed with my group Saoirse Irish Dance Company.
Of course I imagined an alternate reality where I would confidently walk up and begin a glorious performance. In that reality, I’d have recently practiced, be about 20 pounds lighter, and they’d be playing faster so that my muscle memory could friggin kick in. But in the actual reality happening in front of my physical eyes, I hadn’t practiced in I don’t know how long, I felt heavy, and they were playing just slow enough to not trigger my muscle memory of the choreographies.
So, if I wanted to dance, I had to do it knowing that I would have to improvise the whole thing while being extremely out of dancing shape. Plus, I did not know these guys and there were strangers all around. Who knows how people would react and judge me. It’s easy to think of the worst possible reaction that is just so statistically unlikely. Reality is often more optimistic than we tend to give it credit for.
It boiled down to this: I had to make it simple for myself, so I turned to my trusty decider question: “Will I regret not doing this?”
The answer was an undeniable YES!
Despite my heavily beating heart and absolute panicked feeling, I turned to my mom and said “hold my purse.”
I (seemingly) confidently walked up in front of the band, turned to face them, and started my little made-up reel. The eyes above the masks lit up! It made me soo happy to have received a positive response. My anxiety was put to rest and I fully enjoyed the dance. It’s probably my favorite memory from the trip.
I tell this little story to encourage you, the next time you feel extreme hesitation to do something potentially fun, ask yourself: would I regret not doing this?