The title of this post is jarring, isn’t it?   How in the world could one of these things have anything to do with the other?

I’ve got some ‘’splainin to do!

Yesterday I went in for a colonoscopy.  It was my first time.

I will admit I was a tad nervous about the unknown.

I am a journalist and former health reporter.  I knew what ultimately was going to happen. I wasn’t so certain, however, about things that would occur between entering the medical office and being rolled into the “examining” room.

The answer is this:  Nothing much happens.  Nurses give you the third degree about your medical history even though you’ve filled out a form attesting to all the things they’re asking you.  I am sorry, but that irritated me. I had to work really hard not to give the staff “attitude” for doing their jobs… Part of which is to check and double check and cross check.

I just wanted to get the dreaded thing over with!

I  thought I’d be drugged and groggy once I was checked in, so I didn’t bring a book or music or anything to distract myself from my surroundings. Nothing.

That left me alone.. lying in a gurney wearing a thin dressing gown, curtained off for the illusion of privacy.  There must have been eight  beds pushed against the wall there.  I could hear many conversations.. Patients answering the same questions I did, while getting the 441 on what would happen and what could go wrong during the colonoscopy.

What did I do?  I started humming and singing.  I worked my way through a song I am going to perform on New Year’s Eve. Yes, I did!

The song is called “the Wave”.  It starts like this:
“So close your eyes for that’s a lovely way to be. Aware of things your heart alone was meant to see. The fundamental loneliness goes whenever two can dream a dream together…”

For some reason I was having a good deal of difficulty staying on key on the opening line, and so with all that time to wait I was able to work it out.

I  went over and over it– again and again.  Humming at first and then softly singing.  Eventually it stuck in my brain.  I was able to nail it.

The woman in the next gurney over to mine likely heard some of it.

For the success I achieved, the time was well worth it.  Then I asked a nurse for a PEOPLE magazine.

In all seriousness, if you are a baby boomer over the age of 50 you owe it to yourself to get screened for colorectal cancer.

It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, and is preventable through regular screening.

I am glad I did it.  I would invite you to get your rear in gear, and do it too!

“A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer,  it sings because it has a song.”

-Maya Angelou

A long time ago, my sister told me that if there’s a thing you really want to “be about” moving forward in a new year, then you should be sure to be in action– doing whatever that is, on the first day of the year.  Guess you could call it a resolution. For me, it is  much deeper than that.

I have never felt more alive about a passion or purpose than as a singer.

This year, like most years, all of my friends who entertain have gigs lined up for New Year’s Eve, and they are all lit up about what a great time they are going to have with all the folks partying in the new year.

I am actually working at my “real” job on New Year’s Eve.  I will be at the anchor desk, reporting on how others are ringing in 2010, along with the associated mayhem that goes along with it when people lose their grips on reality.

But there is more. There is MORE!!!

I came up with a way to follow my sister’s advice!

You see, my good friend Bill Stonehouse will be the featured crooner at Sullivan’s Restaurant in Raleigh on December 31st.  It’s located only five minutes from my job.

Know what I did?  I asked Bill if I could swing by the restaurant and do a few songs while the stars are still out.  I explained to him how much it means to me,  to be able to begin this new year, singing and feeling that inner joy I always get when I perform.  Generous as he is,  Bill told me, of course I could.

I am so excited about this opportunity.  My sister Teresa would be right proud!

My intention is to throw off the business clothes at 12:05am..  I will then slip into a black sequined gown and pretty stilettos, and sashay myself on over to the club.  I’ll probably only be there an hour before things shut down. I don’t even care about that.  Time is not important. Action is!

It’s gonna be a great night.  I just know it!

And to everyone reading this, I hope the dreams and wishes of your heart come true too.