Yet Another Shock

This week has been an emotional roller coaster for me. If Metro's crash on Monday wasn't enough, I, along with the rest of the world, am still in shock over the death of Michael Jackson.

My friend Janell called in tears saying she lost her first love. Those were my sentiments exactly. During the Thriller era, I was an adolescent in love with Michael. Or so I thought. I guess the more appropriate term would be a crush. I had countless posters, buttons, t-shirts, and magazines with his face on them. The picture above was one of my favorites. I will even admit to a now very embarrassing fact that I often slept with the Thriller album. I just knew we were destined to be together. My mother must have thought I was insane. But as with every crush, the fantasy dissipates as you mature and reality sets in, which in this case was facilitated by the weirdness that surrounded his life. And I think the sadness for many girls who were in love with him set in long before his death. We lost the guy we fell in love with long ago as his appearance and life became incomprehensible. But what is indisputable is his amazing talent and unbelievable impact on music and the world in general. Michael Jackson single-handedly changed the course of music history forever. Hell, he integrated MTV. And the Jackson family is undeniably, with all of its flaws, a great example of the American Dream. As I stated in my last post, now is the time to celebrate life and in this case, the life of a great talent. So, while I sort of just want to crawl in bed and cry, I think any of us who loved Michael should use the Washington Post's Guru's guide to find a party and dance the pain away! Rest in peace Michael.

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