I was painfully shy in college, so I kept my mouth shut during discussions and sidestepped courses requiring speeches.
Ironically, I went on to teach college, which meant lecturing to roomfuls of students daily — and getting over my bashfulness fast.
These days, I occasionally give talks to church groups and wrestle a bit with stage fright. However, I love choral singing, because there’s nothing scary about facing an audience surrounded by other singers.
This year, I’ve already been in a holiday concert with the Decatur Civic Chorus, which was a great joy.
Next, I’ll be singing with the Chancel Choir of Avondale Estates First Baptist Church in “A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols” this Sunday — Dec. 17 — at 5 p.m.
Along with gaining confidence as a singer, I’ve learned lessons from both choirs that apply to everyday life.
First, there’s a right and wrong way of doing things, which means singers who launch into their own rendition of songs won’t last long in choral groups.
In fact, there’s a standing joke that whoever belts out a note at the wrong moment gets listed as a soloist in the program.
Although there’s kidding around during rehearsals, singers must take the director seriously when it comes to pronunciation, timing and hitting the correct notes.
Still, we live in a world where many people reject the Ten Commandments and create their own “If it feels good, do it” mentality.
This notion would never fly in a choral group, because if you’re in the mood to hold a note longer than the music calls for, you’d be clearly wrong.
Which is why you’ll never hear a director saying, “Whatever note you feel like singing is fine by me.”
Second, choral singing emphasizes the virtues of hard work, patience and repetition. Audiences enjoying Christmas concerts might not realize the singers began rehearsing in early fall.
Admittedly, rehearsing the same line multiple times can be wearying, but I remind myself that singing and praying deserve our best efforts.
And spending hours learning something is a good lesson in a fast-food world, where I grow impatient when someone dawdles in answering a text.
Let’s face it, though — some things can’t be rushed, and that includes pregnancy, which requires nine months, growing Christmas trees, which can take decades — and choral singing.
Finally, singing can be a humbling experience, and I sometimes envision choral singers sporting T-shirts that say, “It’s not about me.”
The goal, you see, is becoming part of a bigger whole, which is why women wear identical colors and men don tuxedos. Yes, singers with exceptional voices deliver solos, while the rest remain happily in the background.
Sadly, humility is a hard lesson in everyday life, where politicians, sports figures and Hollywood celebrities vie greedily for attention.
It helps to remember the child born in Bethlehem arrived without fanfare in a humble stable among animals.
His mother was a young girl who surrendered her will to God — and his stepfather a carpenter who heeded God’s messages in dreams.
That child grew up to preach, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” That’s a tough saying in a world celebrating power, money and big egos.
So many exquisite songs were written about the birth of this little child. And as we approach Christmas Day, let’s remember the psalmist’s words, “I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God while I have being.”
Especially during this sacred season, all I can add is amen!
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