Gift giving

I believe that life is given to you in gifts. Your openess to receive -- or reject -- what you are given are the parameters for who you are. Some people never move beyond about 14 years old. Their ideals, opinions and prejudices are set. If you're lucky, you continue to change and grow much longer.

I know I've been given some wonderful gifts, most of which I hope I accepted with grace and gratitude. My creative nature and my absolute adoration for music are my particular favorites. But I have to be open to certain kinds of music before I can accept. For example, I was never a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers until a co-worker gave me "By the Way" and I was head over heels. Coldplay is another example. If I never heard the song "Yellow" again, it would be too soon. But "X&Y" is a favorite album on my iPod.

This weekend I spent an hour listening to "Ok Computer" by Radiohead. I can say, not a big fan of this album when it came out. I wasn't in the right frame of mind to receive it then. In fact, I was still cultivating my ever-exanpding love/lust fascination for -- you guessed it -- Chris Cornell. I know, it's sad but I just can't help it!

My favorite punk station was playing the album in honor of the 10th anniversary and I was so taken with it, particularly "Subterranean Homesick Alien," which I downloaded as soon as I came home.

I love it when that happens. It's like I discovered something new and special, despite the hard fact that I'm about a decade behind everyone else!