The Secrets We Hide

This blog has always tended to be more about funny observations, silly stuff on the web, or the antics of the boys. Rarely is it self-revelatory. But a movie I saw last night, combined with some news stories lately, made me wonder if others conceal a secret too. Perhaps there are friends out there who also have a hidden side. A side to themselves that even those closest to them do not know.

The movie that prompted these thoughts is, surprisingly, a Disney channel movie called “High School Musical.” The G. family loaned it to us to watch this weekend. Last night, as the rest of my family slept, I previewed it and was stunned by the line of thinking that a song brought to me.

In the song “Stick to the Status Quo” several stereotyped high schoolers sing about their secret passions as others in their cliques remind them that they should not give in to the urges. A basketball player loves to bake. A “brainiac” loves hip hop. A skateboarder plays the cello.

After each confession, the crowd sings

“No, no, no
Stick to the stuff you know
It is better by far
To keep things as they are
Don't mess with the flow, no no
Stick to the status quo”

I have a secret.

In the interest of breaking out of stereotypes and being “real” with those who love me, I felt that this blog would be the perfect place to expose this secret passion of mine, and perhaps encourage others to do the same.

I have never tried to hide my love of musical theater. Or my dream to someday tour with the cast of "Riverdance." Or the joy I get from reading Jane Austen. Or even my bordeline-psychotic fear of both mice and fire. But I have been ashamed of my secret, and usually only indulge after the kids are in bed.

I am a huge fan of 50 Cent.



I know. I know. It’s wrong. So many people in the circles in which I run would condemn this, or hint that a “good Christian girl” would not listen to the corrupting, mindless music of “Fiddy.”

But something about his music has always spoken to me. I’m not sure what it is – the beat, the explicit lyrics, the way he hides the more adult content of his words in metaphors one would never expect. (i.e. “Candyshop)

50 is a storyteller, and his style of gangsta’ rap is all about stories. As Braden learned with “Hamlet” and “MacBeth,” not all stories are happy. Some – No. Many stories are sad, brutal, and even criminal in nature. 50 Cent tells those stories, pouring nuance and depth into his rhythms and words. Every “Huh” and “uh-nah” I hear muttered in his songs convey timeless meaning and truth.

His music truly pierces my soul.