Who Claps For You?

Why does the singer go on tour? Why does the comedienne do stand-up? Why does the poet give a reading? Why does the survivor get up and speak?

Simple, right? The applause. That's part of it, but it's not that simple. Not all clapping sounds the same and the trick is to teach yourself how to listen. When to listen. And when not to.

My life is my concert tour and my stand-up routine all at once, people keep showing up for my appearances. My words are my poetry reading. My children are a reflection of how I'm surviving Motherhood, and sometimes they speak louder than words. And yes, I do it all publicly because I get something from the applause. That's how I do things. But part of knowing which applause to listen to is feeling good about the song you're singing or the job you're doing and being comfortable with who your biggest fan is.

I clap for me.