"the greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work" -mj

michael jackson died yesterday. michael jackson. the thriller. the king of pop. wow... amazing. whether or not you grew to overlook the drama that came later in his life... you at one point were a fan. all of us were. he was a creative genius. i moon walked. wore a glittery glove on one hand. squeezed my chubby butt into pants made of parachute. and danced like it was my job. michael jackson changed who we were. who we are. i have to admit... i have experienced sadness over this passing... for a few reasons. one. it's never fun when someone leaves us. 2. because one of my biggest fears in life is that i would be misunderstood. the king of pop had this problem. and 3. because when he died... a piece of my childhood died. a piece of hope... a piece of magic. a piece of wonder. a person who did good who gave to others has left this world. we need more of them. believe me, i'm not endorsing... grabbing your goodies in public, reconstructing your nose 37 times, buying a chimp and naming it bubbles or swinging your baby from a balcony. sure he was bizarre. there is no doubt about it. but that's what made him interesting. he was an artist. he once said, “in a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. in a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. in a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. and in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.” he dared to be different. i believe when i go home this evening... i will put his music on and remember the times.