A special event on Monday was cause for time travel.
I remember it like yesterday—the smell of cheap plastic mixed with sweat. I walked to the third one on the right in a row of 15 treadmills. My form was terrible. Bang - bang - bang as my feet tried to keep up with the never-ending black belt of torture. The red numbers glared at me, whispering, “you suck, you are too slow, and you will fail Vohs - again.”
Then the beat dropped. The shady spaghetti-eating self-proclaimed rap god came at me hard.
I put the track on repeat, jammed my finger on the per-minute mile button, and ran as fast as possible. I had one shot, or so I thought. I ran so hard I was willing to have life imitate art on that gym floor. It was the Spring of 2003, and I would head to basic training two months later.
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime
Eminem turned 50 on Monday. If that doesn’t make you feel old, I don’t know what will. He has been shipping music for decades with almost 400 songs, and he gets lots of airtime when the teenagers have aux in my life.
Just a few days later, t-sway dropped another one.
Whether you love or hate her, you must bow down to the execution and relentless discipline. She keeps showing up, fighting resistance, and making art.
Flexing her PR prowess, she surprised us with an extra seven songs on this album. Make your way to the end of Midnights, and you will find track #20, Dear Reader. Here are a few lines, and I’d encourage you to give the entire piece a listen.
Dear reader,
Burn all the files, desert all your past lives
And if you don't recognize yourself
That means you did it right
Maybe a more fitting title for this track is Dear Writer.
Take the plot somewhere new, or make what we have today even better. Remove the unnecessary while recognizing what is terrific about you and your life. Bring that forward, and don’t burn all the files. There are too many lessons and moments to cherish.
They are both advocating for growth and change. Don’t let your past, or your wounds, hold you back. Clean your lens so you can see clearly and objectively. Keep working at it, and you will become what you should be.
Be gentle with yourself. There is rarely just one shot. Nothing easy here - it takes discipline, courage, and love.
Write bravely, friends.
Credits1
Mathers, Marshall. “Lose Yourself.” 8 Mile, Shady, 2002, 1.
Swift, Taylor. “Dear Reader.” Midnights, Republic, 2022, 20.
Dear Writer