100 Issues for 100 Days: #81

#81: Esperanza

Tonight I went to an SFJazz show. The artist was Esperanza Spalding, who is a wonderfully beautiful and talented bassist. The 23-year old is wildly entertaining and her performance was the epitome of casual and relatable even in a 1,000 seat venue. But mostly, she's just chill in that, I-wanna-hang-with-you way.

She has this song Precious which I love (also check out Cuerpo y Alma). My favorite part is the line:

But I'm not gonna sit around/And waste my precious divine energy/Trying to explain/And being ashamed of things /You think are wrong with me.

The first part rings so true. I'm not going to continue to waste my precious, divine energy on things that are weighing me down. And the second part, worrying about things that others think are wrong with me, is also just a waste of time. When she sang those words tonight it was all I could do not to jump up and shout "Yes!".

And although I've been complaining about my life being pretty dry, tonight was definitely an exception. I laughed and joked, and most of all I had fun. I think it's fitting that esperanza means "hope" because I definitely felt that tonight.

I also think I'm going to have to add her to the list of style icons. Her hair is to be envied and I loved her laid-back outfit (jeans, flats, white tank and oversized scarf). I suggest you check her out.