When Your 10-Year-Old Signs You Up for Something You Have No Business Doing
I never saw myself in a church handbell choir. Ever.
I don’t read music. My piano teacher quit on me as a kid (true story). And yet, here I am, color-coding notes like a kindergarten craft project and hoping I don’t single-handedly ruin a hymn.
Why? Because my 10-year-old wanted to try it…but only if I joined too.
And let’s be honest: when your kid actually wants to do something with you, you say yes. Even if that means stepping into a world where you have absolutely no clue what you're doing.
When Trying Something New Feels Uncomfortable
The first practice? A disaster.
I missed my cues. I had no idea what "measure" meant. And let’s not even talk about the moment when I enthusiastically rang the bell at the completely wrong time (it was loud, okay?).
Everything in me wanted to whisper to the choir director, "You know I don’t belong here, right?" But that’s the thing about trying new things:
→ You’re going to feel awkward.
→ You’re going to mess up.
→ And it’s going to be fine.
We spend so much of adulthood avoiding things we might be bad at. But what if that’s exactly what we need?
The Fear of Failing in Public
I almost said no to this whole thing. Not because I didn’t want to do it, but because I didn’t want to look ridiculous doing it.
(Raise your hand if you've ever avoided something just because you didn't want to be bad at it. Yep. Same.)
Here’s what I realized:
We avoid things that make us feel exposed. Trying something new means risking failure in front of other people…and that’s uncomfortable.
We assume we have to be good at something for it to be worth doing. But what if joy comes from just trying?
We don’t let ourselves be beginners. Kids embrace being terrible at things all the time. Adults? Not so much.
Creativity Is Messy, and That’s the Point
I never saw handbells as a creative thing.
Creativity, to me, has always looked like crocheting, home design, writing—things that feel tangible. But stepping into this choir reminded me that creativity is also about experience.
It’s about figuring things out as you go.
It’s about making mistakes and not taking yourself too seriously.
It’s about loosening up and realizing that nobody else is judging you as hard as you’re judging yourself.
There’s a reason I call this category "Messy Magic"—because this is exactly what creativity looks like in real life.
Sometimes it’s structured. Sometimes it’s chaotic. Sometimes it’s ringing a bell and hoping for the best.
What I’d Tell Myself Before That First Practice
If I could go back and give myself advice before stepping into that first practice, it would be this:
→ Nobody expects you to be perfect. (Except you. Let that go.)
→ You’re allowed to be bad at things. (Not everything has to be a skill you monetize on Etsy.)
→ Joy comes from trying, not from mastery.
And most importantly: You don’t have to do everything alone.
Because at the end of the day, I wasn’t there just for me. I was there because my kid wanted to do something new with me. And honestly, that made all the difference.
What’s Your Handbell Choir Moment?
So here’s my challenge for you:
What’s one thing you’ve been avoiding just because you’re afraid of being bad at it?
Is it painting? Trying a new workout class? Signing up for something that sounds fun but feels so outside your comfort zone?
Do it.
Give yourself permission to be bad at something.
And if all else fails, color-code your notes and ring the bell anyway.
Break first. Bloom later. Try the weird thing.
🌿 Kris
