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