“I never liked jazz music because
jazz music doesn’t resolve. But sometimes you
have to watch somebody love something before you can love
it yourself.” - from Blue Like
Jazz by Donald Miller
As I am writing this, March Madness is coming
to a close. I’m
not a basketball fan, but it’s hard not to get at least
a little swept up in it this time of year. That's particularly
true this year because several of our friends have kids who
go to George Mason University - their basketball team’s
unlikely upset Sunday sent them into this weekend's Final Four. I
may not break down and actually watch the game, but
I will definitely keep an eye on it. Like Donald Miller
said, “Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something
before you can love it yourself.”
I’m not a baseball fan either. Neither
was my oldest son until he married a rabid Cubs fan. This
year, he and his wife got up very early one Saturday morning
to stand in line for hours to get tickets for as many Washington
Nationals home games as they could. They were both wearing
their Nationals t-shirts, jackets and hats, too. Now
I find myself silently cheering on the Nationals.
I am a football fan, and even in their worst season,
I’ll still proudly proclaim that I am a Washington Redskins
fan. I caught my father’s passion on this one when
I was a little girl.
Enthusiasm is contagious. We’ve all experienced
it. The passionate fan is not only going to be out there
spending his or her time and money on what they love, they’re
going to make passionate fans out of the people they know. And
that’s part of the fun!
I’m passionate about music. Back in my college
days it wasn’t unusual to find me out jamming with friends
until dawn, and you could have found me on more than one occasion
standing in a very long line at 3am in order to nab tickets
to a rock concert. I don’t do that anymore, but
I am pretty good at being poised to click all the right buttons
the very minute tickets go on sale at Ticketmaster.
I’m a passionate smooth jazz fan. That’s
why I helped start this website. I’ve grabbed friends
on many occasions in my home and in my car with, “You
have GOT to listen to this song!” I’ve dragged
them to concerts. They get CDs for Christmas and birthday
presents. I email them every month and tell them to read
the latest edition of SmoothViews. I’ve even said
these dreaded words more than once, “Hey, would you like
to see my concert photos?” But I’ve made
some smooth jazz fans out of them and turned them loose on
their other friends.
Never once have I said, “You have to listen to this
CD! It’s wonderful musical wallpaper. It’s
great. You’ll hardly know it’s there. It’s
so relaxing! It’s really good music to nap by too!” I
will admit that there might actually be someone out there who
would find all that appealing, but I’ve never met them. People
need to see me loving it before they can love it too.
So the next time you hear words like this…
“Smooth and Relaxing”
“Smoothing out your workday”
“Sit back and relax.”
…grab the person closest to you and say, “Take
a listen to this incredible artist I’ve been listening
to. You’re goin’ love it!” And
turn it up.
- Elizabeth Ware |
