February 6th will always hold a special place in my heart. Today marks the birthday of the man who has been one of my biggest sources of inspiration. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels a connection to Robert Nesta Marley and his music, but my bond with him is almost familial.
You see, Bob Marley bears a striking resemblance to my paternal family members - so Baby Bee thought that the portrait we had of Bob in our living room was one of my own father. Mom tells me that when I finally understood that it wasn't my Dad, I figured he was my uncle. Dad would play his music every Sunday, and I would listen, look at the photo, and point and smile - thinking that this man was connected to me by blood. As I got older, I came to understand that this man and I were not directly related - but by then I had learned enough about him to know that family or not, an indelible connection was there.
Bob's music has been part of my life's soundtrack for as long as I can remember. His quotes have both calmed and motivated me. He satisfied a thirst for knowledge that I didn't know I had when I started researching Rastafari. He showed me the complexities of the human spirit - who else could come across as an ethereal otherworldly being and a flawed, earthly man at the same time?
Y'all don't understand - or maybe you do after this post - but I love this man.
I'll leave you with one of my favourite Bob songs - it was one of our first dance songs at my wedding (I say "one of" because we did this mash-up thing, and...yeah. I'll explain another time!), and it's one of the best songs to play first thing in the morning, in my humble opinion. Happy birthday, Bob!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOniR2N63zQ]
Do you have a favourite Bob Marley song? I swear I call about 90% of his songs "my favourite", but I have issues when it comes to Bob and the Wailers :)