greatness

i heard a song on my way into work by the fray.

when i heard the song, i jumped to a moment a few months back when someone said at a band rehearsal, "i used to sing with the fray when they were just a local band back in colorado."

which then led me down a quick path of remembering how annoyed i get with name dropping. which then led me down a path of the countless number of times i've done the same thing ...

which then caused me to think, "why do we do that? why do we feel that being associated with recognizable people makes us cooler? are we really that desperate?"

and then it occurred to me: people are attracted to talent. people are also attracted to fame ... no question. but more often than not ... i think people are genuinely attracted to greatness.

it happens with music a lot. because music moves people. and for most women ... musicians seem to take on this irresistible quality that, had they just been a passerby on the street, would not warrant a second glance, let alone our bras, fanatic tears and screams (don't judge ... i've never thrown a bra on stage, but i've seen it happen. and when i was a teenager, i certainly had my fair share of crying and screaming at more than one teeny bopper boy band appearance. again. don't judge. you know you did it too.) but it also happens with film, business, medicine, academe, firefighters, humanitarians ...

and that's how my mind works. in less than 2 minutes, my mind was able to process the first two bars of a song, that then triggered a walk down memory lane, that then led to irritation, that then led to self-reflection and an ultimate conclusion about humanity that i think is at least worth blogging about.

greatness.

we want to be associated with those who have seemed to mastered the art because deep down ... we know that we are capable of it too. and maybe, just maybe, if we spent enough time around those who have been able to exercise their greatness ... it'll unleash ours in the process.