If you ever decide to busk, whatever you do, don’t play the cinema queues in Paris.
Imagine – you are standing in the rain, waiting to get in to see a film and some pesky singer comes along and warbles at you, holding out a battered tambourine for money.
What do you do?
You turn your back and ignore her, of course, and continue the conversation with your friend as though the busker is wearing a Harry Potter Cloak of Invisibility.
Now imagine that you are that pesky singer. You haven’t brought your guitar with you because of the rain but you know that, if you don’t sing tonight, you won’t eat or find anywhere to sleep.
It is tempting to retreat into a kind of half-world where you barely exist anymore. That way you can’t be hurt or humiliated. But you always have a choice, even in these difficult situations. You can stay present and try to connect, even for a few seconds, with everyone you sing to.
Now, I would never advise anyone to sing to a queue in Paris. It may teach you to stay cool, keep smiling and feel gratitude for every kind soul who gives you something, but it is no way to earn your crust for the cinema goer or for you.
Fortunately, busking is not always so hard. Sometimes it can be glorious. Like Lyons on a sunny day.
But that’s a different story altogether…
Image by Ay Capog – Pixabay
