Anita Baker I heart you!...

Good Morning,

In a darker moment you may have asked yourself this question: “What would I do if I couldn’t move?” That is, what if after a wild night of break dancing you ended up in the ER with only the ability to shrug your shoulders and say yes I really shouldn’t have gone for the headspin.

Good thing I am here for you this morning because I have answers!

The year was 1991. I was 15 years old and lay on my back staring up at the ceiling. I knew these three things: my neck is broken, I need surgery, and it’s going to be a long time before I go home. I kind of understood I was in the hospital’s ICU. I kind of understood the doctors and nurses were there to not hurt but help. Perhaps it goes without saying, but my truest and most immediate experience was this: torture! The lack of sensory input, disorientation to time of day, sleeplessness, inability to escape pain…I grasped for any moment of relief. Typically, this came in the form of some compassionate nurse or staff member passing my room. Reduced to “nothingness” I’d yell out the door. “Hey, hey! Could you come talk to me?” Sometimes they would (or at least drop a concerned message at the nurses’ station). Other times a harried schedule or fear wouldn’t allow it. One particular night, after this had been going on for a week?...my mom prepared to leave for the night and offered a simple solution. She had brought my Walkman from home and a few of my favorite cassette tapes. At this time, any item brought in from the outside world felt odd. It was as if she had brought in an artifact from her trip to the moon (not my bedroom at home) but I thought I was willing to try. I let her put the headphones on me and put in a tape. The suggestion that this was going to make life better felt rude and absurd-- do these people really think a little Enya is going to make this okay?

That’s the truth! Enya did not. But ANITA BAKER!!!! did. At least for the simple moment, Anita’s “Compositions” (4th album) and her soulful contralto took me away. For several minutes a night, Anita and I would sing duets “No one to blame” “Whatever it takes” and occasionally when the tape was rewound just right Anita would intone “Talk to me” [lyrics] What’s wrong/wrong with you/why don’t you tell me what you’re going through?” Today with a different ear I can understand the smoldering significance of these sophisticated songs but I will always love them for much simpler reasons-they gave me reason to live. Anita held the torture at bay.

That is why this weekend I am so jazzed to be heading to Grosse Pointe, Michigan. The reason for the trip is to see my brother and wife’s new home. A little known fact: Grosse Pointe is also the home of ANITA BAKER!!!! I am so hoping for an ANITA BAKER sighting.


I will report back soon…