Pete, Singing in Queenstown

I am standing on the wall at the edge of the lake in Queenstown on a Sunday evening when I spot a man walking by carrying a guitar and a hand drum. In Burleigh there is a fire show and drum circle every Sunday where people dance and twirl lights and I think perhaps this man is headed towards something similar—his drum looks just like the ones they use at the Burleigh drum circle. I call out to him

“Hey! Where are you headed with that fascinating looking drum?” 

The man looks startled but replies that he is heading to sing at a bar. 

Perfect!

“I sing,” I confidently reply. “Would you like some backup?”

The man laughs. “Sure. If you know any of the songs I know, you can join in.”

Fuck yeah, that was easy. 

I jump down from the wall and, with a skip in my step, join the man walking to the bar. His name is Pete and he’s from Bluff, the original site of the famous Paua house. Paua are large reflective shells that are used in jewelry and are also known as abalone. The Paua house was moved from Bluff (a tiny town near Invercargill) to the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch and Pete is sad about it. 

“Would’ve been great for the community,” he says. 

He gives me some travel recommendations for the Invercargill area and we arrive to the bar. 

It turns out that I know almost none of the songs that Pete does but that’s alright. I’m a great harmonizer and I catch onto choruses easily. I enjoy listening to him sing and add my own vocal trills when appropriate. It’s nice to be surrounded by music and to feel free in it. I am normally quite shy and intimidated by audiences but I don’t care tonight. I sit at the table beside Pete’s stage and lose myself in the vibe he’s creating. For our last song, I ask him to sing Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. My alto mixes well with Pete’s bass and I can tell he’s vibing. He nods appreciatively and smiles at me. At the end of the song we high five and I head off into the night. This is the follow through on my night in Nelson where I threw aside anxiety and embraced creativity. This is me taking hold of opportunities and not letting fear hold me back. This is one step closer to self actualization, baby!