You know what your hero would be doing if (s)he were here now?
Something else. Something other than listening to you talk about what a great job they did and how they changed your life. You know why? Because that is the past and they are HEROES for a reason.
So why do I write this?
To discourage you?
To imply that you are weak because you hold someone in regard?
No. Not a chance. I like you. I believe in you. I trust you.
Because I want to take a minute to remind you to be you. You do not need heroes. You do not need an exemplar to set the ceiling perceived, known, or otherwise. Do your thing. Be you.
Some jazzhead friends and I were sitting around talking about Coltrane one night. Someone mentioned how cool it would have been to sit in the front row, as some of our professors had done.
Front row. Crowded room. Face-in-bell. Loud. Sheets of sound.
Thing is this: Coltrane, once his records were complete, was already on to something new. If you wanted to hear what he recorded in a live session you probably would require a time machine. He moved on. We would laugh and say that if he were here today, he would ask what our obsession was with Giant Steps. He’d look and say, “Get over it. I did.”
So what I am saying tonight is this: HEROES. Get over it.