As some of you may know from previous articles, I am spending my summer four hours away from home in Cleveland, Mississippi, and I have found that moving to a town where you don't know anyone forces you to try all sorts of new things.
Since moving to Cleveland, I've had many firsts, and this week, I had the opportunity to experience another. I was leaving the local coffee shop, Mississippi Grounds, after finishing up my weekend work and coffee fix, and I noticed a sign that read, "Open Mic Night, Monday 6 p.m. to 8 p.m." Looking back, I have no idea how I have never attended an open mic night, but needless to say, my interested was piqued. For anyone who doesn't know, an open mic night is when a venue sets a block of time to leave a mic open for anyone who wants to perform a piece, which could be a song or a poem or even a joke.
Monday came around, and after a long day of work, I showered, grabbed my journal full of my, oh, so fantastic poetry-- just in case I decided to get brave-- and headed out the door. The night started off slow as people trickled in, but no one seemed brave enough to step up to the mic. People were walking in with a wide variety of beer and wine-- I didn't get that memo. The drinks started pouring, and a few mustered up the courage to perform. The catch was that none of them had actually prepared anything to perform, so the open mic night quickly transitioned to a karaoke night.
I was an amused bystander to this beautiful interaction of human beings. I saw best friends sing their hearts out to their favorite songs, and I saw overjoyed millennials dance their cares away in a comfy, small town coffee shop. While I didn't necessarily make any new friends or step up to perform my poetry, I made a memory. I observed, and I learned, and I was entertained. I think that a lot of the time people believe they have to jump into the excitement to create a memory or have a good time, when sometimes, you can get the most from a situation by just watching it happen. Humans are interesting to just watch sometimes. They call it 'people-watching.' A little like binge-watching, just without the screen. You should try it.
The night was not at all what I expected, but I would absolutely be lying if I said I was disappointed with my first open mic night. So, if you ever have the chance to be a part of an open mic night, jump at the chance. You never know how it'll turn out, and don't forget to sit on the sidelines every now and then.
If you're looking to try it out, Mississippi Grounds in Cleveland has an open mic every Monday night from 6-8 p.m. I'll see you there!
