When I was young, I remember having a crush on a dear girlpal of mine. She was so beautiful and kind and charming, yet not superior as some popular kids tend to be.

I was terrified of asking her out. ⁠
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My mommy encouraged me to go for it. Call her!

“Worst that happens, Waylon, is she says ‘no.’” ⁠
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So I called. I was awkward. I was terrified. I managed to say some coherent things, and asked her out. I think it was a school dance. I know it was, c’mon, I might forget things that happened an hour ago but I’ll never forget the terror of that date.

‘Cause yeah, she said yes. ⁠

But.
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She called back, later, and said “kinda”—i.e., we could go together, but not as a date. It’s all silly to remember, considering we were, like, 10. ⁠
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But the wisdom of that advice remains:⁠
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…as my mommy used to say, If you go for it and you fail, you’re left with no, which is right where you started. Go for it—now. ⁠
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The only cost is vulnerability, and learning to breathe through fear…and that’s good for us.⁠

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