Dear Beautiful People by Rusted Root,
I can’t take credit for finding you. Someone brought you to me. Jon. The man who “showed me the music.” I’m sure everyone has that person. Maybe the older brother who played music too loud from his bedroom. Maybe the neighbor that had access to the rap music your parents forbid. Everyone had someone that showed them what music can be. For me that was Jon. He was my first everything. First love. First real boyfriend. First best friend. And he showed me the music.
It was this song that he made me listen to in silence. He wanted me to really listen. I still remember how he sat in his chair in his bedroom rocking his head back and forth. Both of us just a couple of teens, listening to music.
And I couldn’t understand how a song could be so sad and so beautiful at the same time. How was that possible? And it took me a good two more decades to understand its truth. That there is no darkness without light. And the deeper the darkness, the stronger the light. A candle in the darkness can blind your eyes by its sight. And when I think about these last 8 months I remember such darkness, but also just as much light. So many beautiful memories of love. Moments of love that brought me to tears. All of the love and support.
Beauty and pain can coexist.
