Comfort zone

Today I did it! It was my very first singing test in my very first singing class since the fifth grade. I used to love to sing. I even had aspirations of becoming an opera star, or performing in musicals. Alas, all of my dreams came to a halt when at the age of ten I learned the truth...I cannot sing! Ever since then it has been strictly band class for me! I wasn't even good at that, to tell you the truth, but I enjoyed it.
I always felt uncomfortable singing the hymns in church because my voice just wouldn't ever go as high as it needed to, and I hated having to skip out on half of the notes in each song! Going on a mission really helped me because especially in the Spanish wards, people expect you to sing all of the time and even to be good at it! "Now las hermanas will be singing a duet...in front of the whole church." Or, "Hermanas, would you sing at my dear friend's funeral?" Let's face it...we do scary ridiculous things for the people we love! Anyway, singing got to be at least a little bit more comfortable for me after that.
I decided to try out my rekindled enjoyment of singing in a basic 111R singing class. I thought that since it was a class of eighteen, that we'd all be singing together the whole time...WRONG! We are required to perform four solos in front of the class throughout the semester. Today I sang "Where is Love," from the musical, "Oliver." Oh dear, I felt like such a nerd...."whhheeere is loooove?" I was also extremely nervous.
My wonderful roommate practiced and practiced with me until I felt fairly confident about singing the piece. My brain was settled and I was at peace with the whole situation...or so I thought! Although my brain was okay with me singing, somehow my body rebelled. As I stood up to sing I felt my throat get fuzzy, my chest get tight, and my legs start to go numb. Are you kidding me? I squeaked through it all, but was a little disappointed that it didn't come out as well as I had practiced. Owell! The fact that I went up and sang in front of a group of people I didn't know is a pretty big step for me. I should just be happy that I didn't puke or pass out! We'll work on style the next time around!