THE POWER OF MUSIC TO UNITE US ALL AS ONE

                       A friend of mine had her 45th birthday party at a bar here in Loveland, where some of the patrons were some very rough and tough looking dudes. These guys made the cast of Sons of Anarchy look like cast members from the Ice Capades: Full leathers, full sleeve tats, beards, bandanas, and the muscular physiques to back up their bravado. I am not afraid of most men as I know I could hold my own, but these guys were definitely not guys I would want to tangle with.

                         I was the only patron in the bar drinking club soda sans the Vodka, Bourbon, Gin, Tequila, or Rum, so from a drinking standpoint, I was not only the only teetotaler in the bar but was also the only guy in the bar with a short haircut, a clean shaven face, and no tattoos, so I felt like a choirboy at a Hell's Angels picnic. It happened to be karaoke night at this bar, and because I am kind of a ham and egger impersonation singer, I was called on stage and I put on my  overweight Axl Rose persona and belted out "Sweet Child 'O Mine" : At the end of the song, the bar erupted in applause, whistles, and hooting and hollering, and of course, hearing that made me feel good. But what happened next gave me my warm fuzzies for the night and my point to my story. I was engulfed by those Sons of Anarchy guys as I walked past them with hugs and pats on the backs, with them saying in no uncertain terms, 'MAN, THAT WAS F&&&ING AWESOME BRO!!!!!!!!" "GREAT JOB MAN", "SHIT YOU SOUNDED BETTER THAN THE RECORD!!!". I hung out and talked with these guys, we clinked our glasses together, and had a very pleasant conversation that ended with handshakes and mutual respect. The highlight of the night for me was when one of the older bikers took off his leathers, he happened to be wearing a CU sweatshirt, and of course we talked Buffs football for another 45 minutes or so. It was a perfect evening. 

                    The lesson that I took home with me last night was this: ALL of us have certain prejudices, pre-conceived notions, etc that can be erroneous and false and this was  proof that you can't ever judge a book by its cover as the old saying goes. I was amazed that the power of music brought very different individuals from our tough guy, rooster-strutting machismo and turned us into hugging, smiling normal guys, as if we all were old friends. 

              It demonstrated, at least to me, that no matter what you call this Power, be it God, The Creator, the Great Spirit, The Source, or The Big Musical Note,  that we all are part of that great Force and that love prevails over our differences. I am grateful for me personally, that some of my own prejudices I had before about certain groups were laid to rest last night. Music is DEFINITELY a power than can unite us all as one.