As I was sitting in my room the night before the competition, with overwhelmed nerves fighting in my stomach, my mother came in to give me some advice. “When you sing, make sure you look straight, don’t slouch, and let nothing but the lyrics go through your mind as you are singing.” Of course I didn’t hear a word she said, as I zoned out thinking about grandma’s story that she had told me about her own singing competition. “The night before the competition, I went to the hospital to visit my mother,” she had said. “She was extremely upset that she couldn’t be there for me at the competition. As she poured her heart out, tears crawled out of her eyes and slowly glided down her pale cheeks. That really broke my heart. She kept on telling me how extraordinary of a singer I was. She gave me inspirational advice on how to control my nerves when I perform on stage.
‘First of all, posture is what you should be focusing on the most. You have to make sure you don’t slouch. Keep your head no lower than a ninety degree angle to help your vocals’, said great grandma.
Tick tock.
‘Next, always try your best to make eye contact with the audience. If it is too hard, then spot the wall in the back of the auditorium or whatever you feel comfortable looking at. Never look down at the ground.’
Tick tock.
‘… Oh and make sure you do some warm ups to stimulate your vocal strength before you go on stage.’”
Grandma Anne always told me that great grandma talks like the minute hand on a clock, so slowly that it doesn't seem to move at all. I guess as a teenager her age, it is normal to have much parental dissatisfaction. She said that my great grandma likes to repeat everything, whether others understood her or not. As a teenager, grandma never appreciated great grandma’s smile on her face or care for her family. Sadly she only noticed how slowly great grandma talked and how it bothered her. However, her judgments all froze when she was sitting next to by the hospital bed that day.
It was getting late and my great grandmother wanted Grandma Anne to get some rest so she could have an abundant spirit for the next day. But before Grandma Anne kissed her goodbye, great grandma pulled out that scarf from underneath her bed.
‘Anne, I want you to have something. Here, take this scarf. I had it since I was about your age. I was going through quite a troublesome time; I had a really bad habit of losing confidence quickly because of all the stress from not being able to cope with pressure with many other amazing singers out there in the world. I didn’t know what to do about it and I was very anxious. So then your grandma bought me this beautiful, expensive scarf that I have always wanted to urge me to better at the competition, and not be afraid of what others think of me. I have to admit, I was happy, but that still didn’t solve the problem. I was still feeling fragile on the inside, until your Grandma passed away from a sudden stroke a few days later. I suddenly realized the importance of the scarf because this is not just a piece of peculiar fabric, but a piece of my mother’s
