That's an interesting thought, right? I have had a difficult time here recently coping with my age (27!), because I'm slowly but surely encountering more students who have not experienced the things I reference in everyday conversation when I'm trying to connect them to the topic at hand. At one of the recent winter guard shows I noticed that Adele has become very popular along the circuit for performance music.
And I have to confess: I was a little bummed. Not because I don't like Adele; in fact, I love her music. But rather because I'm disappointed that she isn't "mine" anymore. Let me explain: there are some things in life that we value as ours because they seem secret or hidden, like Adele's music. For me, the fact that it wasn't on every radio station every 20 minutes made it more special to me, like it was a secret that I had and I only shared it with people who would ride along in my car if the time was right. Once Adele's success found the mainstream radio stations, I found myself switching stations more often, because now everyone had my secret.
This also applies to my favorite books in the WHOLE. WORLD. Yep, I'm talking about Harry Potter. Harry Potter was my secret read; I was reading Harry Potter before Harry Potter was, you know, Harry Potter. Someone bought me the first two books (the first two were the only ones in existence at the time) and I stayed up late, way past when I was supposed to be sleeping on school nights, reading Harry Potter under the covers with a flashlight. My friends were busy crushing on boys from school and church while I was trying to figure out if I was more like Hermione or Harry...
It was as if those books about Harry belonged to me in a way that they couldn't belong to anyone else. When Harry Potter became a trend, I felt as if I had been denied something special, as if something in my own private life was suddenly public. Harry Potter wasn't my secret anymore, now his stories belonged to everyone. I can honestly say to my students I was reading Harry Potter before Harry Potter was cool. And that's what I take away from those long nights and early mornings turning the pages and waiting for the next book. By the time I was in college Pottermania was in full swing, but I wasn't into all the hype. Yes, I've seen every film on the big screen, and yes I own them all on DVD and Blu-Ray, but it's not about owning the films; in some way, I'm still trying to hold on to that kind of special ownership that secrets carry.
Have you ever experienced what I'm talking about here? What's your special secret that became everyone's new favorite thing?
2 comments:
Very well said! I think I've had this feeling often in the past but could never really put my finger on why I grew "tired" of something. This was Glee for me in the first season. Not too many people knew about it and it was my private "inside joke".
~Hope
Hi, Lindsey. I know exactly what you're talking about in your slice. There is a coffee shop in my home town that has become very popular, but I went there first doggoneit! My secret is out.
As an aside, it's great to meet you! I'm a Carolina alum, Class of '87. Love the photo of the Old Well. Miss those days!
Post a Comment