"And everybody's hands go UP!"

But...I can't. 

"And they stay there!"

But...I really, really can't...

Thank you pop music for seemingly always telling us to throw our hands in the air. Because I love being reminded that it really isn't possible. Because I love throwing one hand in the air when everyone else puts up two. Because I love the strange looks I get when I can't put my hands up!!!

Thank you, DJ Khaled. Thank you to Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Outkast, Backstreet Boys, Black Eyed Peas, and Paula Abdul. I hope my one-armed fist pumping doesn't offend you. 

P.S. You should know-- even without BPI, we've all been tired of that lyric for longer than you think. 

Horace Pippin

My mother and I spent Veteran's Day (this past Tuesday) at an art gallery downtown, and my favorite piece in the exhibit was by an American artist named Horace Pippin. Though I enjoyed many of the other styles just as much, Pippin's painting actually caught my attention because of his story. 

While fighting in World War I, Pippin was shot badly, and he ultimately lost the use of his right arm. Upon return from the war, he took up drawing again for the first time since he was a small child. The war had deeply affected him and it influenced much of his art. But, being right-handed, he had to relearn how to draw. Instead of teaching himself with his left hand, Pippin propped up his right arm and guided it with his left. And there in that exhibit was one of his paintings. An exhibit honoring the best artists from Post-Impressionism to Pop art. His painting among those of Kandinsky, Pollock, Warhol, Kahlo, O'Keefe, and many more. He was one of the best at a profession entirely dependent on the skill of his right hand. 

So what's my excuse? 

Fear

The world is full of scary people, places, ideas, and events. We know this. We spend much of our lives being told this. Usually though, we take a moment to acknowledge it and then move on. Terrible things happen and we know it but for many people, it's a myth they don't truly recognize. Until one of those things happens, it's hard to. This world is scary. There are people living their lives in fear because they've experienced the things that forced them to recognize the myth. Things that forced them to never forget that it isn't actually a myth. Bad things happen. But living in fear is the worst thing of all. Allowing one bad event to take away your life is far more destructive than all of those terrible things. We have to take control. We cannot let the bad take away our lives. We can't stay home or hold back or miss out because of fear. Fear does not control you. Control it. 

Halloween

Halloween: the one night of the year when it's socially acceptable to pretend to be somebody else. Which is why I know that even if they took away the free candy, we'd still love it. For 364 days a year we get to be ourselves and that is absolutely fantastic, but we must admit that the 365th day is a nice break. Being yourself always comes with expectations and labels and constant responsibility right? Being Batman or a lumberjack or a princess on October 31st comes with none of that. You can say it's just a costume but it never is. Whether we like it or not, we become different people on Halloween and personally, I love it. It's when we try to be other people that we learn the most about ourselves.