Back in my journalism days, I got to do cool things quite frequently. (Mind you, it had little to do with me and everything to do with those three little initials after my name -- NBC.)
I attended trendy restaurant openings. I was given free tickets to hot concerts and movie screenings. I rarely paid to attend a theme park. (Free Disneyland. Enough said.) I was escorted to classified areas on military bases and given rides in military aircraft. I even got to meet and sometimes interview famous people.
Understandably, my life has calmed down a bit since I left NBC, moved to the middle of nowhere and gave birth to two children.
(Side story, but I can't help it: Two years after I left NBC, I talked to a good friend of mine who was still in the business. The exact conversation eludes me -- I've worked hard to forget the specifics -- but it went something like this. "Oh my word, Kelly, I'm so exhausted! ... Got the job with MSNBC ... still looking for place to live in Manhattan ... get to work at 30 Rock ... immediately sent to Boston to cover DNC ... then straight to Athens to cover the Olympics. I need a nap!" Or something like that. Meanwhile, I had been busy that summer potty training my daughter and hacking giant zucchini out of my garden whilst cleaning up bug carcasses from my kitchen counter every morning. Not exactly the kind of stuff that makes the society page, if you know what I mean.)
OK. So my life without journalism -- it's a little dull. Honestly, I love it anyway. I'm exactly where God wants me to be right now, and all that hoopla and dazzle and glitz can get old. Not to mention it eventually feels as fake as a celebrity's smile and air kiss. (Which I was never good at anyway. Do you lean in for the kiss? Do air kisses always come in pairs? Should you turn your cheek or give them a chance to hit flesh?) Even with the laundry and the lunches and the bickering and the boredom, I am so incredibly grateful God has given me today to live in this moment.
Which is why I'm so excited about Steven Curtis Chapman's new album. (Finally! The title of the post is starting to make sense! It was starting to drive me crazy, too.) It's called "This Moment," and while it's technically not released until tomorrow, I have been listening to a live stream of the album since mid-August. So I feel qualified to say (in a dignified voice) that it totally rocks, dude! Not only is the music amazing, but the lyrics are profound and deeply truthful.I had already decided to spend a few days around the release date talking about my favorite songs on the album. Because I'm slightly obsessed with it. And then the deal was made even sweeter by Steven's people. They've agreed to let me give away a free copy of "This Moment" to one of my readers. Just leave me a comment on this post, and I'll let a random-number generator pick a winner on Friday afternoon. It's that simple -- and that awesome.
Of course, you can also go to Steven's site right now, buy the album through one of the pre-sale options and get the music immediately. And depending on the deal you choose, you might even get access to a free single not even on the album called "Beautiful Scars."
I'm just saying.
Tomorrow, I'll start telling you about my four favorite songs on "This Moment." And Friday, I'll give away a free CD. Thus, I'll be cool again, if only for a while. See you then. Kiss-kiss.
