FEARLESS FRIDAY

I have an absolutely delightful guest post today by Birdie Song. We're happy to have her for Fearless Friday on Discover... And even more special, her latest book released just two days ago. Congratulations, Birdie!

I’ve been lucky, in that most rash or life-changingthings I’ve done have come with a measure of safety and protection. I moved toPerth and started high school, but I had my whole family with me. I split upwith a serious partner and started my life over, but I was young and energeticand had relatively few responsibilities.

What might be more interesting would be to tell you about thetimes I did things without fear, only to later learn that I should have beenmore afraid. Like when I snuck into a crowded roped-off area at a festival thathad stopped letting people in (hello, fire hazard), or the time I patted afull-grown Berkshire pig and he bit my hand (could’ve done some real damage),or the time I walked through an alley in a foreign country only to come out theother side and see a guy behind me carrying a machete (yes, he was actuallylooking for me!).

Often when we think about being brave or fearless, we picturehectic stunts and thrilling once-in-a-lifetime moments, but there’s also a lotto be said for the everyday fearlessness we must summon just to get on withlife. One of my favourite examples of this “chronic fearlessness” is howvulnerable we need to let ourselves be in order to truly connect with people.

It’s hard being this vulnerable. When you’re the onespeaking, you reveal something about yourself without knowing how anotherperson might take it. Will they react violently, threateningly; will they useyour secrets against you later; or will they be careless with your heart,enabling someone else to hurt you? It taps into something primal within us,something that evolved in our social Homo sapien brains to help ussurvive. We’re wired to fear judgement and ostracisation.

When you’re the one listening, your sense of self is calledinto question. Are you a traitor to your loved ones if you hear somethingdisagreeable? Do you get to still identify as a certain type of person if yougive attention to the unfamiliar, unusual, or unexpected? Will you be exposedas ignorant or incompetent or irrelevant? The way we respond to people, tobooks, to life, can often reveal our deepest fears and secret shames.

To be a caring person, a thoughtful person, the kind ofperson who helps where help is needed, knows when to back off, and intuits andrespects boundaries is no easy thing. It takes a certain measure of courage,wisdom, and the willingness to trust. Some days my socially anxious side takesover, and I hide from the world because I just can’t be that person – it’s toohard, and I’m too luteal.

But the point, I think, is to try as best we can, whenever wecan, to face our everyday fears for the sake of something better. I might notwalk that alleyway again, but perhaps I’ll let my guard down next time a newfriend invites me round for tea.

The Guy from the BeachResort by Birdie Song

A guy who keeps his promise could be worth breakinghers.

Reformed party-girl Penny is going to fix her life. No,really, she’s gonna do it this time! Starting with a vow of abstinence, fivedays in a Bali beach resort, and literally running into a well-timed fakeboyfriend she definitely won’t fool around with.

Unfortunately for her, Adam is smart, funny, charming, andstarting to look like an all-round decent human being. All green flags and zerorisk, he’s the kind of guy who respects her and keeps his promises, leavingPenny desperate to break hers.

The Guy from the Beach Resort is a sweet, fake dating,slow-burn romance, set in the world of Somerville Downs.

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Birdie Song was born in Southeast Asia and now writesfrom Perth, Western Australia on Whadjuk-Noongar country. She believes love ismore important than labels, integrity is a person’s most attractive quality,and that no one should be judged for putting pineapple on a pizza. When notwriting, she tends to a veggie garden and reads a variety of books, hoping toone day understand the meaning of life.

Website: https://birdiesongauthor.com
Newsletter: https://birdiesongauthor.com/newsletter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20263281.Birdie_Song
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/birdie-song