“Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.” -Author, Ernest Hemingway
I believe there is two ways to interpret this quote; although Hemingway’s intentions may diverge from my favored one; you do not need alcohol to be uninhibited to do the things that you typically not be comfortable to do without drink.
Perhaps I favor my initial interpretation because it reminds me of a small feat of my own; when I was 22, fully knowing that I have no capacity to sing on key, I decided to sing a Capella with friend at an open mic. Stone cold sober.
The Court (Tavern), New Brunswick, New Jersey
In front of perhaps 20 strangers without an ounce of alcohol in my bloodstream, my friend and I sang “Trouble in Mind” based on Nina Simone’s rendition and Janis Joplin’s version of “Mercedes Benz”. I acknowledged before we began that I had no voice for singing and, at the end, the small, unlucky crowd graciously applauded.
Perhaps to the dismay of some, I still haven’t learned to keep my mouth shut. Even if I’m off key.
Tonight at Dawn 