Just my thoughts (volume II)

When I heard someone play a Destiny's Child song on the piano in college, my perspective changed, and RIP to an actor from one of the greatest scenes in TV history

Thanks to the couple dozen of you that read my first one of these last week. And even if you never subscribe, it’s super cool you’d even spend a minute of your dreary morning skimming my thoughts. Dreary because as I type this, it’s early morning and thundering like mad outside.

Here we go…

1. Few things pass the time mowing the front yard (and much longer backyard) like listening to podcasts. And my favorite podcast currently (and probably all time) is 60 Songs That Explain the 90s, a series that has now pushed its way to over 100 episodes, thus over 100 songs from the 90s that Rob Harvilla has discussed.
   
   Last week’s episode covered an R&B group from Houston that blossomed in the late 90s called Destiny’s Child (their lead singer happens to be a solo artist now, FYI). The hugeness of Beyonce can hardly be contained in a microblog, but like many great artists, her trajectory has been fun to watch.
   
   Destiny’s Child peaked while I was in college. When The Writing’s On The Wall, the album that shot the group into the stratosphere of radio hit-producing machines was released, I was entering my freshman year. College is a different world, and when you’ve spent most of your time in Small Town, USA, experiencing different cultures, talents, and perspectives can rock your senses in the best of ways.
   
   So picture me, an introverted skinny kid stepping into Littlejohn Parlor on the campus of Charleston Southern University in the fall of 1999. Littlejohn, as we called it, was a safe place where boys and girls could co-mingle without consequence since we weren’t allowed to cross into each other’s dorm rooms.
   
   One night a group of us were hanging out, possibly playing cards (Spades, most likely), when a girl I did not know stepped to the piano and played the opening notes to “Bills, Bills, Bills”, the first single from The Writing’s On The Wall.
   
   I was transfixed. The sheer audacity of this girl, no older than I was, playing the piano in front of a bunch of strangers.
   

   

   Photo by Vitae London on Unsplash

   
   It was beautiful. Sure, it’s odd that it took this moment to expose to me the unworldly talents of others. Sure, it was just a few notes on the piano. But it’s a scene I can’t forget because it taught me talents aren’t given to us to keep locked up, tucked in a corner, and shushed. For me, it was as if people who had talent, real talent, only existed in Hollywood or on the radio. This girl blew my ideas out of the water. Probably like this guy did for hundreds of students at his high school.
   
   So step up to the piano and play a few notes. Show us what you got. You’re not Beyonce, but you don’t have to be. You’ve got talents, and dang it, we want to see them.

2. She’s back. Simone Freakin’ Biles. The gymnastics GOAT finished first in the U.S. Classic this past weekend, and is poised to return to the Olympics stage next summer in Paris. And if we’ve learned anything from the 4-foot, 8-inch (!) tall superstar, it’s that she should never be counted out. Ever. And I’m not here for anyone’s smack talk about her not being able to handle the pressure and quitting on her team/country in Tokyo. Because mental health struggles are real and dangerous. And whatever level of anxiety we have at times, we’ve all experienced something.
   
   Her apparent return to dominance places her, in my opinion, on the Mt. Rushmore of female athletes alongside Serena Williams. The question is, who else belongs there? Here are a few possible names:
   
   Billie Jean King, tennis (won 39 Grand Slam titles in 24 years)
   Allyson Felix, track (7 gold medals, fastest woman in history)
   Babe Zaharias, everything (2 gold medals in track, 10 LPGA championships)
   Candace Parker, basketball (2 gold medals, 2 WNBA MVPs, Rookie of the Year, 7-time All-Star)
   
   Who else belongs on this list? And who would be your four on the mountaintop?
   
   

3. Actor Mark Margolis passed away last week, or as I refer to him, Hector Salamanca from Breaking Bad. The show ranks not far behind Mad Men and West Wing in my favorite all-time dramas. But this scene where Hector plays a crucial role will live on as one of the greatest, jaw-dropping scenes from any show. Ever.

4. “Neil Gaiman, in a commencement address that went viral, described his fear of being busted by the “fraud police,” whom he imagined showing up at his door with a clipboard to tell him he had no right to live the life he was living.” I identified a bit too well with this New Yorker piece from February on imposter syndrome. Especially as a writer, when someone tells me they need to rephrase something and act aghast when I haven't given them some new way of saying it within a few seconds. I often feel as Gaiman does, and if those fraud police show up at my door, revoking my license to write, I'll be without any skill to do anything else. This happens when I spend too much time scrolling through LinkedIn, reading posts on all the successes other writers have. Comparison is always a thief of joy.

5. I recently began reading Amor Towles’ book Rules of Civility. Not knowing much about him, I did a quick Google search. I couldn’t help but smile and be a bit envious at this line from his Wikipedia page:
   
   Towles' first novel, Rules of Civility, was successful beyond his expectations, so much so that proceeds from the book afforded him the luxury of retirement from investment banking and the opportunity to pursue writing full time.
   
   There you have it. The ultimate fantasy for any aspiring author. Well done, Mr. Towles. Well done, indeed.