Bringing Mae Flowers

Daily writing prompt

Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?

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If there is one thing I can thank my LDS upbringing for, it’s my public speaking ability.

From a young age, Mormon children practice public speaking in the form of prayer, “talks”, testimony, and lessons. By the time a Mormon reaches adulthood, they will have been had countless opportunities to speak, or sing, in front of audiences of various sizes. I have seen TV shows and movies that revolve around stage-fright, but I can’t recall anyone I know actually experiencing it to a serious degree. Public speaking is so common in LDS culture that stage fright is trained out of most children. Light nerves are common, but performance paralysis is almost unheard of.

I don’t consider myself to be a performer.

I can be charming and charismatic when the mood strikes. I have never struggled to speak my opinion in educational or professional settings, and will take control of a situation as needed. I’ve given presentations for work and school, participated in choir competitions, read my writing aloud for a showcases, and I once even MCed a talent show. I am fully capable of capturing an audience and putting on a show- but I don’t particularly like to. Just because I am capable of filling a role, doesn’t mean that I crave the lime light. I honestly find it to be exhausting.

I doubt I’ll find myself on the stage again.

As children we are given ample opportunity to perform and compete, but those opportunities all but disappear once we leave school behind. Only a choice few make a career out of performing, while the rest of us sit quietly in the audience. And I’m quite comfortable to be a spectator. I am not talented enough in any field to expect the honor of standing behind a podium any time soon. But if I ever find myself in that position, I know I’ll do just fine. I’ve had plenty of training in it, after-all.