. . . and there are a zillion (including painting old pay phones, thanks NOLA), but here’s one that’s close to my heart: the urge to share something you love.
So much of my work is about this desire, sharing things I love with students, family and friends, and readers. My books are about important shit (to me): teenagers, finding yourself, art, music, nature, being kind to others, finding the good in the world. My classes? Also full of important shit (to me): stories, historically excluded humans, critical thinking, how to write a solid argument, being curious rather than judgmental, seeing the world as a both/and.
Does my love make these things important to others? Of course not. But that’s what happens when you put stuff into the world: some people are gonna reject you. You gotta get used to it.
One neurodivergent person who did this well (and faced understandable backlash) is Luke Combs (maybe you didn’t know he was ND, but yup). When my son played me Combs’ version of “Fast Car,” I was really glad he was driving and I was in the backseat, because I quietly sobbed. Tracy Chapman’s song came out the summer after my freshman year, and I wore out my tape of that album. I was NOT happy a white man co-opted the song, but his version still hammered my heart.
Then I found out WHY he recorded it: he and his parents used to listen to Chapman’s album, and “it was my favorite song before I knew what a favorite song was,” so he wanted to SHARE IT, because he LOVES IT. So he approached Tracy Chapman, she allowed him to license it, and then they did the most amazing duet imaginable at the 2024 Grammys, which you should watch if you haven’t.
Despite the public’s important (and correct) hesitation about a white man recording a Black woman’s iconic song, he stuck to it, and I’m so glad. He helps me believe it’s okay to do the same.
So here are two other things I love: street art and stickers.
Thanks, Luke Combs, for sharing what you love with us. I needed this song in my life again, and I need this duet. I need to see successful neurodivergent people. I need to feel less alone.