do you remember the time….
wow. today has been a very busy day at work and when i came home, sweetie and i worked diligently getting ready for our planned camping trip this weekend. it wasn’t until 9:20pm that we actually stopped long enough to turn on the television and grab our laptops. and what news was waiting for us? the deaths of both farrah fawcet and michael jackson.
i watched ‘Farrah’s Story’ on television recently. it was very sad to me that she was going through such a traumatic journey but i was touched at her desire to advocate for others and share her pain. i saw her partner on television and he announced they planned to finally marry when she was strong/well enough to say ‘i do’. that didn’t happen, apparently. it was obvious they had a very strong love.
and then, even bigger and more significant for me, michael’s death. when i was a child, i LOVED michael jackson’s music. he was easily and hands down my favorite musical artist when i was a child and still today remains in my top 10 easily.
when i was in 2nd grade, i became a latch-key kid. i would be home, alone, for hours every single day. being social, i found that the telephone was a great connection to the outside world – but i didn’t have many people i knew (or was allowed) to call. i started calling my local radio station and requesting they play michael jackson’s songs. when you call a radio station every day, and you’re 8 years old, the DJs tend to get to know you, and if you’re cute, humor you. so every afternoon, around 3:00pm, there’d be a michael jackson song playing on the local radio station in Temple, Texas and i, would be dancing and singing at the top of my lungs in my living room. my mom would listen to the radio & know i was home when she heard him start singing.
i’d also beg the DJs at the local roller skating rink to play MJ’s songs. there was no better artist’s songs to get up some great speed around that wooden floor and start grooving out while you were literally flying. none. only michael could do that for me.
so yeah, he was weird & odd and even outright questionable in many of his behaviors …. but the man could sing and dance. and i’m sad he’s gone.
