29 October 2023
We are all beginners,
preferring the shade.
Nervously hugging the shadows
lest the limelight prove too bright.
We are all beginners:
the Michelin-starred chef staring
at her screaming one-month-old child,
the concert pianist stuttering out
his first improvised blues lick,
the NBA star tottering out onto
the ice rink.
We are all beginners.
Not imposters.
Not pretenders.
Not fakers, but risk takers,
prepared to feel and look foolish
because learning offers no other path.
We are all beginners.
So stand tall.
Smile.
Embrace incompetence
for it is temporary.
We are all beginners.