Florence Foster Jenkins was an American soprano opera singer whose career culminated in a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall on October 25, 1944. She died one month later, but she had beaten the odds and overcome enormous obstacles to reach her goal. Many have sung at that prestigious hall, and many have come from much more humble beginnings than she, but none have successfully done what she did. You see, while others had perfected their craft and tuned their voices into precise vocal instruments, Florence Foster Jenkins was, by all accounts, a terrible singer.
Much has been said about her singing ability, and frankly, too much fun has been made of it. It's so easy for people to laugh and make fun. It's much more easy to destroy than create. Often, we set goals for ourselves, because we want to acheive something that is difficult for us to do. It takes us out of our comfort zone. It makes us feel vulnerable and exposed. The world is full of people that seem to just wait for somebody to stretch themselves and do something extraordinary, and then simply criticize and ridicule them.
It wasn't Florence's goal to sing at Carnegie Hall (that I can determine, anyway), it was "popular demand" from the crowds of finger-pointers and armchair critics, but that doesn't change what she accomplished. She enjoyed singing opera, and singing to a sold-out crowd at Carnegie Hall is something any opera singer would consider a supreme honor. So, whether she butchered it or not (she did), or whether the audience sat in respectful silence or laughed out loud and jeered (they did), she did something many, many "legitimate" opera singers never have.
She sang to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall.
What does it matter how good she was? How many people can claim that honor? From my point of view, I see someone who had a passion. Someone who, despite overwhelming criticism and negativity, accomplished a great thing.
There have been times in my life that I have had something I wanted to do, but when I revealed it, I was mocked or told that it was foolish. I think I'll take a page from Flo Fo's book. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. If doesn't even matter if what they say might be true. If I've got a goal, I'm going for it. Nevermind the naysayers.
