Didn’t think it was possible, but I have a new appreciation for my spousal unit.

In another life, she put together a band made of Shreveport/Bossier City talent, and their job was to be the house band at the Hyatt Regency (I think) Waikiki, the hotel right across the street from Waikiki Beach in Honolulu.

I have heard her and her friends play many times back in Louisiana. They are very good. I never  heard them play here, but I’ve heard other musicians perform here — I’m in Honolulu for the Hawaii Bowl, Louisiana Tech vs. Hawaii at 9:30 CST Saturday — and now have a gauge to go by.

In our hotel, down the street a bit from the one they were employed by, different guitar players/singers are performing each afternoon and night at about three different spots downstairs. My room is 10 floors above one of the little outdoor grill/bar/restaurants, so there is no way of escaping the music. The thing is, day after day and night after night, each artist or group had been very, very good. Like, exceptional. I might not “like” the songs they play and sing all the time but I can recognize how talented they are. So my friends who played here those couple of years had serious game.

The majority of the present generation, I think, seems to believe that if they don’t “make it big” and/or make it big overnight, they’ve failed. They want to start out as bank president or lead salesman and whatnot, without paying dues or understanding the fates and the thrill of the chase.

But some of this “hitting it big” stuff is luck and timing. I work with people every day and even live with people who are as talented as anyone I’ve ever heard on the radio or seen on screen. Every day I witness a new example of how talented people are, how filled with surprises they are. They’re everywhere. I’m grateful they are willing to share their talents with everyone or with their circle. They make a positive difference for the rest of us.

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