This guys walks into the bar, looks like every other ordinary guy on the street, mid 40s, wearing a spectacles, dangling a guitar around his back except for one minor detail - he suffered from polio and he walked with a pair crutches.
His name is Frankie. He was tonight's singer at the bar.
I was having a quiet usual drink by myself for the weekend like I always do - a usual practice for me to recollect myself and get my own me time. And no, I am not an alchoholic.
Unfortunately, the bar wasn't so quiet tonight. Probably the eve of Malaysia's independence day so it gave many citizens license to drink on a Sunday night without having to worry about having to wake up with a hangover on a Monday morning since it is going to holiday tomorrow.
While I was assuming my drinks for the night just enjoying the time for myself, Frankie was setting up his music equipment. I saw him doing some test strums on his guitar, some mic test. When he was finally satisfied with the sound system, he started singing.
He sang songs from the good old times - The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel, Words by the Bee Gees, My Father's Eyes by Eric Clapton. Those songs were not my type of songs but I found those songs pretty soothing.
There were some old folks who even walked up to Frankie to make some requests for the night.
As Frankie sang for the night, I was simply wondering what he actually did for a living. I mean did he really sing for a living or was it something he did because he loved doing it? Was he one of those who never got a break at singing professionally?
I couldn't help but think why is this guy a bar singer. Most people at his age would already be quite well off financially and happy with a family.
But Frankie had something many of us don't have. As much as the fact that he probably didn't get much as a bar singer, he seemed happy singing. So, while he was singing, I took a look around the bar and realised at least half of the patrons there didn't really bother much about his singing.
Another point that stood out about him was the fact that he was being himself. Not the corporate look good do-gooder that most of us are forced to portray due to contractual obligations imposed on us. Half the bar couldn't care less about his singing or what he was singing but he kept on going. Personally, I think I'd lose my motivation if no one listened to my singing (not that I am trying to imply that my singing is good).
I think it is important for all of us to remember that we should be ourselves. Many of us out there are not who we are. I fall in the trap all the time! Trying to be who we are not, wearing a mask everytime we out there working or meeting people.
Someday you will notice that not being yourself is tiring because you find that you are always acting and putting on a show. You'll never be happy and you'll fill unfilfilled in life. Another thing, you'll feel very demotivated because you'll realise no matter how good a show you put up, like Frankie, half the world or more couldn't care less about it...............
in this time today, we all have so many things to do in life that we haven't even got time to think of who we want to be. and the world today is fast changing. instead of sitting down and think of so-called unnecessary stuff, we're needed to do more important things. There are responsibilities to be carried. Burdens are there to be held. And when we finally have the time too consider who we want to be, that's when we are like 40? Half the lifetime's been wasted.
ReplyDeleteI just want to say that I totally agree with what you say that we should really think of who we want to be. But time is changing things. So I suggest that while thinking, we should also enjoy doing things that we like. At least when we reach 40 and think of who we want to be, we would not regret of the past 40 yrs because we coloured it.