This month in August, I dare you to tell me a story about a time that you dared to speak a truth that needed to be voiced, even if it made you uncomfortable. It may have been misinterpreted or misunderstood and you lost your place with that person or situation. It could have happened at a job, in a relationship, or a group you are a member of. Was there a benefit to you or the situation after you spoke your concern? Was it worth the consequences of your action? This often can be a positive scenario with a good outcome for all the parties involved, where everyone is grateful and appreciative of the interaction.

I have a “dare to tell my story” about my living situation. I don’t like to complain out loud about things that bother me to my neighbors, my family, or my friends. I try to solve my own problems without affecting others in a negative way, especially in a close-knit neighborhood. There are dogs in my neighborhood that bark at night obsessively and it’s not about coyotes that we all understand.

They can be heard barking in the upper and lower valley. I have spoken to some of my neighbors about this and they have been very considerate in their response. I am asking, requesting that you be aware of your family dog at night. It is hard to sleep through the constant barking. It is too hot to keep the windows closed to shut out the noise.

The people are the best part of the neighborhood. My dogs have been in trouble many times and I have been able to work it out with my neighbors, being proactive to resolve problems. I am grateful for this and feel blessed that they are kind.

I would also like the readers to know I now have the internet after 10 years and you can email me your daring stories, to martaglover8@gmail.com Tell me something daring about YOU.

Kai:

I was managing a kitchen in Texas. It was a really really hot summer. The air conditioning was working poorly and the staff was dying from heat exhaustion. Upper management did not want to fix anything so I threw a fit and demanded they get a new unit. I dared to speak up when no one else would. It took a bit of convincing them to add a new air conditioner. In the end, it was still unbelievably hot and it did not really help, just blew flames out on the range top.

Berri:

I spoke to my friend, Marina, about her seeing a therapist about her anger issues. She is my best friend and I am worried about her. Her response is always,”I don’t want to go.” She recognizes that she is angry but won’t be open to a therapist. She has a lot of valid issues for being angry. Normally, I could not say this to someone, it’s a very touchy subject. I dared to tell her knowing she would be irritated. I am going to keep talking to her about it. The benefit is showing her how much I care about her. Some people think therapy is admitting defeat, a sign of weakness. This is an ongoing process for my friend as well as for our friendship.

Molly :

I am in a church choir and I am not the official leader of the group nor do I have the authority to lead the group. I am one of my peers. Sometimes I have to exercise authority that a member requires even though I am not the official leader. A long-time member has a difficult personality and is a founding member of the choir. She did not pay her dues for over 10 years and nobody ever confronted her about this. Well, it took a team of us to confront her, and it could have backfired but it did not. The dare paid off! For the first time in 15 years, she paid her dues, period! This dare was uncomfortable and anxiety-provoking. It made people mad and consumed us for months but ended well, worth the consequences.

Lydia:

My sister became close friends with my ex-husband’s wife. She wanted to be close friends with a past relative who did not like me and was indifferent to me. It made me so mad and sad. I did not ask my sister to stop seeing her in the beginning, even though it continued to hurt me. This sister was my best friend then, talking together all the time… we shared endless secrets; she was my confidant. My sister was about to move away across the country to the east coast. I dared myself to call the ex-wife. It totally backfired, making everything worse. It changed the course of my relationship with the ex-wife for life and was never resolved to this day, 20 years later. I even had to go to therapy about it. My sister moved six weeks later and I was broken for a while. If I had kept my mouth shut, none of this ever would have happened in a negative way.

Sometimes being daring is not worth the long- term price you have to pay. I guess it is best to deliver your daring messages with respect and kindness whenever possible.