The past 9 days will be etched into my memory for a long time. Last Saturday finding out someone I once knew in Tallahassee passed away (my post about that here), and all the sadness that goes along with that, which changed the way I listened to a new song I’d heard only a few weeks earlier, by Greg Holden, “Hold On Tight.” The lyrics are about not taking life for granted. So this week I kayaked. I made new friends. I danced. I worked. I wrestled with my dogs. I called my family, instead of just texting. I went to a play. Then tonight, Sunday, I went downtown to see Greg Holden’s show. He played “Hold On Tight,” and it was the perfect ending to this week. The perfect beginning to the next thousand weeks.
Life: Laughing together like people in Japan probably do
Laughing.
We all do it. Babies. Old folks. Democrats. Republicans. AP English teachers. Criminals. People in the smallest town in the US to people in the largest city in Japan.
When God created us, he included something that makes life so much more enjoyable. The sense of humor. And it’s pretty cool that there are different types. Something I find funny isn’t the same as what you think’s funny. Sense of humor can be seen in all areas of life; from TV ads like this one…
…to funerals where someone giving the most heartfelt eulogy can pepper in a bit of humor that works perfectly, even in the midst of heartbreaking loss.
I’ve been thinking some this week about this thing called humor. How it fits into my life. If you know me at all, it’s needless to say I value it very much. I absolutely love making someone laugh with a timely thought, an odd look, or a movie quote. And I equally love when someone can make me laugh. There’s more to it, though, and this is what I’ve been wrestling with the past few days.
When do I use humor to keep people from knowing the deeper things in my heart?
I think there are times I don’t like to admit that I’ve used humor as a way for you to like me. Sort of a social resume. It’s especially true when I first meet people. Humor is a way to say, “Hey, I’m a fun person!” I hand over a piece of paper with a few topical one-liners, a personal quip about my dogs, an impression of Jimmie Fallon doing an impression of Donal Trump.
“Let’s build a waalllllll.”
But hey, I’ve already built a wall! Yes, perfect segue. I can comfortably hide behind this wall to keep from revealing the other things I value. Deep conversations. Complete trust. Working hard and not cutting corners. No one wants to talk about those things in social scenarios, right? So a wall’s constructed, beautified, updated with the most current news or movie quotes, all in an attempt to:
- Get you to like me
- Keep me from being vulnerable which could lead to rejection
This weekend, though, I’ve longed for that vulnerability. I feel it most alive, or most exposed, when I have conversations with long-time friends, those handful of people that’ve climbed over the wall to experience the deeper parts of my personality. Beyond the humor I sometimes hide behind.
So to my long-time friends, thank you for letting me be vulnerable. To new friends, please like me! I hope one day soon we can let our guards down. To laugh together like people in Japan probably do, but also trust each other like long-time friends do.
-BW
My 3 favorite Prince songs
I didn’t expect this news today, but finding out that Prince has passed will most definitely send shockwaves across the world, and fill up Twitter and Facebook for the coming days. I didn’t know much of his music when I was growing up, more of a reflection on me than his music, though. In the last decade or so, I’ve come to love a handful of his songs. Another thing that I kinda LOVE is that it’s pretty much impossible to find his music without buying it. So along with this list, I’ve included links where you can listen to the track, and buy it, too. Here’s some bonus content, Billboard’s list of Prince’s Top 20 hits.
7 (yes, it’s just the number seven, click, then scroll down to the track #15 to listen to it)
Purple Rain (click, scroll down to track #8)
Little Red Corvette (track #2)
Honorable Mention:
When Doves Cry (first track. Mostly because MC Hammer sampled it for his song “Pray”)
-BW
An open letter to the Nashville family who recently lost their home
In my neighborhood a few days ago I came across a relatively new home that had the roof torn off, and everything inside was scattered about. Utterly destroyed, it was. I could tell a lot of effort went in to building this little home. I know what you’re thinking: it was a tornado, right? No, that’s wrong. It wasn’t a tornado. Nashville’s been having pretty great weather.
The victims weren’t anywhere in sight, although just a few minutes before I came across the destruction a female flew by me as if she were being chased by a monster. As it turns out, she was being chased by two monsters! I was right on two assumptions: 1. She was the homeowner as I’d suspected, and 2. Those monsters were my two sweet docile loving cuddly dogs!
OK, they were not being cuddly at this particular moment. They were being savages, as wild as wolves, howling like sirens. They were in hot pursuit of the female… rabbit! Yes, a rabbit. Despite their best effort, though, they didn’t catch her and once they realized she was out of reach they snooped around and found her home. A rabbit hole. They began to sniff and dig. Dig and sniff. Rabbits make their homes by piling up sticks and leaves and their own fur, and usually do it in plain sight as a way to trick any wild animals that might prey on them.
I entered the story (besides the bunny fly-by) when I caught up to my dogs doing the sniffing and the digging. I saw a bunch of fur an thought, “Did they catch the rabbit??” Then as I got closer, I realized they didn’t, but that they’d found the rabbit’s home.
Fur, debris, and an empty hole. That’s all I saw. I’m going to assume (for my own peace of mind) that the baby bunnies, if any were tucked in there, scurried away safely before the monsters arrived.
Next time, I hope mama bunny doesn’t make her home in the middle of a dog park!
-BW
Life: Kayaking downtown Nashville
My effort to not take a single day of life for granted… kayaking downtown Nashville this afternoon.
Out of the Wilderness 