The Cool People

Several years ago, when my husband and I were still single people pretending not to be hot for each other, I hosted an open music rehearsal at my apartment. After Mr. Nygren, a couple of friends from our church family were the first to arrive. As he and I were standing in the kitchen preparing dinner, we heard one of the aforementioned friends say to the other, "I can't believe we're finally hanging out with the cool people."

We stared blankly at each other, obviously sharing the same thought: What cool people? Did someone else come in?

When I was offered the opportunity to play on an Enter the Worship Circle album a few years back, I was delighted... and terrified. I spent most of the week fighting the feeling that I was in a house full of talented musicians and I was the kid who'd opened the lucky box of Frosted Flakes. I thought I was getting over it when I was playing guitar one afternoon during a break. Two musicians very high on my "cool people" list were listening to me play. The first said I was a very good guitarist. The second remarked, "Yeah, now if we could just work on her character..."
He was kidding, which did not matter at the time, because I was crushed. I chuckled and nonchalantly set down the guitar as though I'd planned on stopping anyway. I then retreated to our room, collapsed on the bed and wept for the better part of half an hour.

(Yes, we talked about it later, and it's all okay now.)

Confession du jour: sometimes I say things like "I don't give a rat's ass what anyone thinks of me" simply because it leaves no easy opening for criticism (no matter how well-deserved it might be).  And then, people around me look like they admire or even envy my ability to be so cavalier. And then, deep inside, I do a giddy little dance because I know they think highly of me.

Don't act like you haven't done it too. We all need affirmation -- some of us more than others, and most of us more than we let on. We all want to be the cool people.

 

All this comes up because we have a friend who is irrefutably "cool people" despite the fact that he hangs out with us. Trace has an international following on MySpace and YouTube for his unique and mildly psychotic guitar stylings, and his videos are so popular that videos of other guitarists trying to play his music are popping up all over. (If that wasn't enough to secure his cool people status in your mind... wait till you meet his wife. All doubt will be forever abolished. Sewiously.)

But yeah, back to Trace. He and Becca stayed with us for the better part -- the much better part -- of last week, and while they were here, Trace let me play his gorgeous custom-built Breedlove guitar. I did my best not to drool on it. I played around on it while he and Becca checked emails. I can only describe the feeling by comparing it to bringing a Tupperware dish of your best tuna noodle casserole to a dinner party at Martha Stewart's house.

I played a couple of my arrangements of old hymns, and then a couple of Christmas carols. When I started playing the next piece, he looked intrigued and asked, "What is that?" I did my best not to grin like a proud toddler who'd just used the big kid potty for the first time, but I know I was blushing when I replied, "I wrote this." He smiled, raised his eyebrows, and offered two words that almost made me do my deep-inside happy dance on the outside:

"I'm impressed." 

The guy who has other guitarists around the world wanting to cut off their fingers after they hear him play says he's impressed. In that moment, in two little words, Trace made me a "cool people."

Am I saying we should depend on the accolades of others t0 give us our sense of worth? Not by a long shot. We are creatures of community by nature, though, and are called to encourage, undergird and love each other in words and actions. So I guess what I am saying is... you have the power. Go make some cool people.
 

Comments

[Erin-erin-bo-berin]

Oooo. Today's gonna be a good day for my classmates. Along with anyone else who might cross my path today...
I love you, my seester!

[kristen]

"We stared blankly at each other, obviously sharing the same thought: What cool people? Did someone else come in?"

I think I just peed my pants a little. but i've had that same thought, which is why it's so dang funny.