On Handing Over The Microphone.

So a few years ago Michael Buble's in the middle of a concert somewhere and this slightly tipsy woman kind of just stands there by the stage, trying to talk to him. She's telling him about her son Sam and what a good singer he is and he's only fifteen years old.

Michael Buble humours her, calls her crazy woman, sits down in front of her a tad frustrated.

I know I've shown this on my blog before but I keep a heap of stuff in my favourites tab and look at them every now and then. Stuff to make me smile, make me feel something other than what I'm feeling. I made Dave watch it the other night and he said "Haven't we already seen this hon?" and I'm all "YES but LOOK at how generous Michael is, sitting down, listening to the lady, and then getting her son Sam up to sing. It's just so cool!"

So Michael Buble - right in the middle of one of his concerts - gets some random kid up on stage and offers him the chance to sing. To a lot of people. What a gift! Thing is, Michael had NO idea what was going to come out of this guys mouth. He was probably already rehearsing things to say after the kid cracked out some warbly tune. I just love the exact moment he very tentatively and with GREAT trepidation hands the microphone over to Sam. Just that one moment of oh god holy crap how is this going to turn out? The not knowing, but doing it anyway.

And then this happens.

I love how Sam got dressed that night, lined up, walked into the theatre, sat down ready for the concert, not knowing what was about to happen to him. I love his mothers belief in him, and I love how Michael Buble was SO generous and took a risk.

We need to take more risks. Who tells their kids to "Take more risks today sweetheart?" as they walk out the front door? No. We tell them to be careful, to watch out, to play by the rules and not rock the boat.

Rock the boat. Do things, say things, rattle the cage and speak up. I want my kids to KNOW that they can change the world. (Just as soon as I can get them to make their beds in the morning.)

::

I have been overwhelmed with love and kindness shown to me in the past month, had to do therapy around not feeling like I deserve love and being very uncomfortable when it is given to me. The other night as I went off to sleep I had this random thought .... "imagine what it would feel like to love myself?" I bet life would be a whole lot easier. I'm trying. It's trying. Keep crying.

Thank you for your gifts and letters and emails, to get me through my brother Cams very first suicide deathaversary. Just when I think it's all going to be ok, it's not ok. And it all starts up again, but different. And when I realise I'll never be really ok again? Yeah. Gotta owie. Thank you Beth for organising such love.

So there are two days left to enter my Lip-Synch Awards. Just like when I sit down to open a hand-written letter or open a present - when I see somebody has bothered to do a lip-synch for me, for them, for Cam? All of the cries, all of them. Entries close midnight 15th November do you want a thousand dollars or not? My 12-year old son Max is judging. Winner announced next week. I've even had some 15-second entries on Instagram. So cool. I tried so hard, for so many years, to help Cam get out of the past he was stuck in, to be the person he was all along because being yourself is SO FREEING.

So. Be daring. Who really cares about what you do anyway - nobody. They're all too busy being self-obsessed and one day we'll all be dead and this will all fade away but in the meantime?

There's moments like this.