Day 336: King of Pop

We were prepping for an early morning convoy operation when I noticed my good friend, Mitchell, who was staring aimlessly and with a look of complete bewilderment and sadness all mixed together. I thought maybe he was dreadfully tired as he had just returned from leave and was likely still jetlagged and sleep-deprived. When I asked him what was wrong he told me, "Michael Jackson died!". I didn't know what to say. Honestly, as much as I have been entertained by the King of Pop with his moonwalks, catchy songs, and his high-pitched "eee hee or ooo hoo", I was actually quite surprised at Mitchell's distraught expression as if he had just lost a close friend. I actually felt a little guilty that I didn't share in his grief, so I decided to take a few seconds to think about which of his songs had been the most memorable for me...here are the lyrics.

"Man In The Mirror"

I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My
Favorite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See
Their Needs
A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got Nowhere To Go
That's Why I Want You To Know

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change

Although many people may remember him as controversial and downright weird...I would like to think that he had a sincere desire to contribute positively to our world. Yes, he was misunderstood, chastised by the media, and hammered with rumor after vicious rumor, but despite all of that he continued to portray himself as a man who still had love to give.

MJ, may you rest in peace.