Take On Me.
Many years ago when I was just a teen, I was with some friends in the local record shop when several huge guys walked in, dressed in black tops, pants and leather dusters. They looked like they had just fallen out of the Matrix. The men proceeded to tell everyone to leave the store at once because Morten Harket (lead singer of AHA) wanted to make a purchase there.
Being teenagers, we were all reluctant at first, but we soon grasped how serious they were as they grabbed us one by one and physically removed us from the store.
That's where I saw him. Morten Harket, in the flesh. His beautiful wavy hair moved in the wind like a Pantene commercial, but his face didn't have the beautiful smile I was used to, he just sneered at us before entering the now empty store. He was dressed the same as his bodyguards, and as they went inside, it was only then I noticed that all the black dusters had the band name in huge white letters on the back. Clearly anonymity wasn't a priority.
Two body guards stayed outside, making it clear that they had no problem putting an end to any attempt we made to go back inside, even though not one of us had made a move.
I'm not sure how long we were there, but when Morten came back outside, I asked if I could have his autograph. We weren't screaming or yelling, behaving like wild fans. We were just a bunch of scared kids, with our backs against the wall, hoping that our idol would at least acknowledge us.
He stepped over to me and pulled out a pen. He waited for me to find something for him to sign, and all I could find in my pockets was my City of Nottingham bus ticket. I asked him to sign the back, which he did. I could have melted, but didn't, seeing as he still looked at me as though I was the most disgusting thing he'd laid eyes on.
I looked at my ticket, expecting to see his autograph, only to see that he had written F#@K OFF. No name, just an expletive.
I thought I was going to cry as I looked back at him, hoping this was some weird joke. He was smiling now, but not a friendly one, and then he spoke. "Next time ask for a signature stupid, not an F-ing autograph." And as he turned his back on me he spat the words, "If you had a brain, you'd know an autograph is just a sample of writing. So you got what you asked for."
I felt humiliated, not only in front of my peers, but by someone I idolized. I tried to hold back the tears, but I had no desire to hang out with my friends any longer. I just wanted to go home.
My friends tried to convince me to stay, telling me what a jerk Morten Harket was and how they wanted to make a pact to never buy another AHA record. LOL As if our contribution would make an impact on him.
As I went to leave, my friends encouraged me to rip up the "sample of writing." Instead, I put it inside my wallet. And it stayed there right into my adult life, as a reminder of what I never wanted to become.
For all I know, Morten Harket may have been having a bad day. That's the excuse we give people when they are jerks, right? But to me, there is no excuse to make another human feel small.
We live in a world of inspirational quotes on Pinterest, staged photos on Instagram with the #no filter, and celebrities reminding us to be kind. And as much as we splash slogans across our shirts and promote the words, are we honestly backing up those beliefs with our behavior and the way we treat others?
I've finally accepted that I am above and beneath NO ONE.
I've learned that kindness, sincerity, integrity and love, are the only qualities I truly want to possess, and my favorite qualities in others.
