What would you do?

OK. I have a question for you.

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

Mum bravely conquering her fear of underground railway systems on the Metro

I’m going to take a wild punt that I, as a blogger, crafter and hedgewitch am not alone in this, but, in real life, I am not wildly outgoing. I do not come across as not wildly outgoing, indeed I suspect I come across as quite the opposite, but I am not. I mean, I am not hiding quivering in corners because this is why God created chardonnay, but, if I had the choice between a/ walking into a party full of people I don’t know and networking without being sarcastic or b/ sewing up a really horrible long seam with mattress stitch it would be b/ every time (in fact I don’t think, looking back on my failed attempts at being Supportive Academic Partner, that I’m constitutionally able to network at a party without being sarcastic, so that perhaps isn’t much of a choice). Anyway I tell you this not so that you will think, poor Susie, because at least half of people in the world feel like this including Jeremy Paxman according to an interview in today’s Guardian, but to demonstrate that the things I am afraid of are mainly around outgoing-ness, big groups of people, being forced to be extrovert, that kind of thing. (Also anything that involves heights or dangling).

Anyway, the point of this ramble is, being afraid is OK unless it stops you doing things. So, what would you do, if you weren’t afraid? If a Good Fairy came along and waved a wand, and just for once you were protected in a Ready Brek glow from rejection, nerves, failure, being abducted by Somali pirates, spiders, whatever: what is the first thing you would do? Would you go skydiving? Would you travel to Africa? Would you go and declare undying love to Barry in Budgens? (Don’t! It’ll hold up the queue! He’s steady enough!). Would you take part in a burlesque show (have to say, I quite fancy that myself)? Would you join the Women’s Institute? Model for a life drawing class? What would you do?

I’ll tell you what I would do. I would learn my guitar properly, I would write a song, and I would perform it in public. So that’s what I’m going to do*. It might take a while as I am hampered by the lack of any natural talent but, readers, seriously, what is the worst that can happen? If they heckle, it’s not as if I’m sitting there with nothing. I’ll have a great big guitar. I can hit them with it.

What would you do?

* I don’t know where yet, in case you’re thinking I’ve got a hotline to Simon Cowell. This is Cambridge though, there are sure to be open mic nights somewhere, gosh that sounds terrifying when I type it, off to drown emotions in Food.