That Was A First For Me

I've been talking a bit on the air about my New Year's resolution.  Each month this year I'm forcing myself to try something new and get outside my comfort zone.  Last night I did just that.

Over the last few months I started planting flowers and got myself into yoga.

This month my sister-in-law, Julie, asked me if I would be a celebrity bingo caller at Bethany Home.

While celebrity is subjective, I was fairly confident that most of the elderly residents would have no idea who I was, being a top-40 personality.

"Introduce me as Paul Harvey's grandson," I joked with her.

I know it sounds crazy, but I really hate talking in front of people.  With radio I have absolutely zero anxiety, but for some reason speaking to a room full of people terrifies me.

Luckily my lovely wife, Lisa, and 8-year-old son, Jacob, came along.

There were about 30 people there ready to play for prizes and fun.  I was nervous at first, but when 90 percent of the ladies kept complimenting my son and his cute cheeks it put me at ease.

For an hour I pulled numbers, handed them to Jake to announce and then repeated them loudly for all to hear.  Jacob brought his sound-box that plays a variety of effects, so every time somebody won he would play the effect of a crowd applauding.  Most of the folks found that very entertaining.

I stopped midway to tell a joke.

"How do you get three ladies at Bethany to say a bad word?"  I waited a beat.

"Get the fourth one to say bingo!"  (Mild laughter)

Hey... I tried.

I think most of the people there had a good time and it felt great interacting with the residents.  It was a really great experience.

~CMF