Good Evening TXK
Why did the chicken cross the road? This may be the beginning of a joke with a million different punchlines, but it really got me thinking about opportunities. We all face pivotal points in our lives, running around like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to cross to the other side without giant mistakes. What if the answer to “Why did the chicken cross the road?” was to graduate from college? What if the chicken crossed the road to start over in a new city or build a new business? Sometimes crossing the road means the chicken is scared to death, but what if we were determined to cross it anyway?
Overcoming fear is a topic I resonate with since it feels like I have spent most of my life overcoming fears. I don’t want to look back at the end of my life, feeling like I was too chicken to attempt everything I wanted to accomplish and not have something to show for all the years. I want that obtainable inner peace and joy from knowing I did everything I could to stare fear in its face and bravely cross to the unknown.
People tell me I look highly confident and don’t seem to care what others think of me. Well, “yolks” on you if you think I walk into a room and have it all figured out. It’s that “overnight success” narrative that often labels the highly successful. In truth, hours and even lifetimes have been devoted to climbing the seemingly never-ending ladder, landing them where they are today.
There were times in my life when walking in front of a big crowd of people made me so anxiety-ridden; I would do borderline anything not to have to do it. Are they looking at my side profile and noticing how big my nose is? Are my man boobs noticeable through my shirt? Do I walk too effeminately? A chicken coop wasn’t built in a day, (or whatever the saying is), and the same can be said for my confidence. Many people are unaware that the secret to building confidence is doing the things that scare us over and over and over again. If we do something that scares us every day, fear will slowly die, and we will eventually feel ready to rule the world.
I was scared to move out of my mom’s house two years ago, but with tough love and brutal honesty from my friend, Ali Deal, I conquered that fear and enjoyed every second. From there, I felt more apt and able to conquer other things I had always told myself I could never do. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Without the first step, you can’t take another.
I used to walk on eggshells, treading lightly to ensure hard-boiled personalities weren’t bothered by my overly sunny-side-up disposition. I always felt too loud, too happy, too MUCH. I know now that life is about hatching from the egg we call our comfort zone and letting the world open up around us. As terrifying as crossing new roads may first appear, we will never regret looking back and knowing we crossed it. Afraid? Yes! But determined to leave the nest in search of something much better? Absolutely!
LIVE MUSIC
June 7
Amber Violet
La Fogata
7-10 pm
June 20
Tuesday Night Karaoke
Whiskey River
8 pm
June 23
Lee Mathis & the Brutally Handsome
67 Landing
June 24
The Ultimate Elvis
Perot Theatre
8 pm
June 24
Nick McCarty
Hopkins Icehouse
7 pm
June 29
Kin Faux
Whiskey River
8 pm
LOCAL EVENTS
June 1-10
TRAHC’S 30th Annual Student Juried Exhibition
June 2-4
Arkansas State High School Rodeo
Four States Fair Grounds
Every Saturday in June
Texarkana Farmers Market
Downtown Texarkana
7 am-12 pm
June 3
Four States Homeschool Expo and Conference
Church on the Rock
9 am-3 pm
June 5-8
Texarkana College Kids’ College
June 5-8
Texas A&M-Texarkana Boys and Girls Basketball Camp
June 9
Texarkana College—Women in the Workforce
10 am-12 pm
June 10
David Michael Wyatt
Perot Theatre, 6 pm
June 9-11
Running WJ Barrel Race
Four States Fair Grounds
June 9
Downtown Live
Downtown Texarkana
5-9 pm
June 16
Daddy Daughter Dinner supporting Mission Texarkana
Crossties
6-8 pm
June 16-18
Integrity Team Roping
Four States Fairgrounds
June 19
Juneteenth
June 19-23
Oceans of Fun Art Camp
The Gallery
1-3 pm
June 20
Arkansas Junior Amateur Championship
Texarkana Country Club
June 24-July 1
Brahman Show
Four States Fairgrounds
