Old ghosts, karaoke and Buddha

Last night was going to pretty quiet. I expected a quick visit to the cultural festival in the park and quiet drink at the pub then dinner with my friend.

But it was far from quick or quiet, and I think this little guy had a whole lot to do with it.

Well, the only part that was quick was our sprint through the cultural fair since I got back in town so late. We spent most of our 20-minute sprint shopping and caught a few seconds of belly dancing in between until this little statue lured us up another sidewalk.

He lead us to a booth displaying various wooden statues, scarves and jewelry. He spoke to my friend, and she bought him. Although she's not Buddhist (and neither am I), she grew up with a similar statue in her home and wanted to continue the tradition.

When we got to the pub, our purchases in hand, a few people commented on the statue with its head peaking out of a plastic grocery store bag.

Then it happened. He, along with lots of help from my friends, helped me gather the courage to destroy an old ghost. The flowers from the top of my wedding cake are now gone. My final purge.

This is where karaoke comes in. We grabbed some dinner and walked over to a bar I had never been to for karaoke night. And the little statue did its work again. It gave my friend the courage to sing I'm Just a Girl by No Doubt, and I hope he helped her destroy an old ghost too. The one that leaves her petrified to sing in front of a crowd. She's beautiful and has a great voice. What's there to be afraid of? Some of the people in the group sing in bars all the time, so karaoke is no big deal. Besides some of the other performances were just plain painful.

Now I have a decision to make and need him to give me courage to make the right choice. I know I can, but I'm not sure I will. I can always rationalize it's the right thing. Some old ghosts are just too hard to let go of.

One thing I am very certain of, it will take a hell of a lot more than alcohol and Buddha to get me to sing karaoke. Like I told a friend when he said, "Next time, we'll get you up there to sing."

"No thanks. I'll just be your publicist when you make it big." That's one thing I don't need extra courage to do.

Love to the single girls,
Addison