He's From Oklahoma!

My friend, Walt Wilkins, shared a story with us last night about HIS friend, singer/songwriter Kevin Welch, who recently went out on the road to perform and forgot his boots.   

Walt, a Texas songwriting treasure, said that you always forget SOMETHING when you’re out on the road again.

The only pair of shoes Kevin had that night was his Crocs.  In his effort to “keep it real”, he realized that he would need to apologize to his entire audience before picking a lick.  (I’m so sorry…. I forgot my boots… so I’m going to have to do my whole show tonight while wearing my Crocs.)

So he did.

Walt’s bass player, Bill Small, opined that there were only three ways to be properly shod while playing music in Texas.  You either have to wear boots, flip-flops, or go barefoot.

The question is still unanswered about why Kevin didn’t just kick off his Crocs and throw down.  Who knows?  Maybe it was cold outside. Maybe he has tender feet.  Maybe he’s missing a toe.  

We’ll probably never find out, and it doesn’t really matter because he’s from Oklahoma anyway.

What’s important here, really important, is that Kevin had the integrity to own up to the fact that something was amiss (his boots) and that he was just going to be honest about it.

I love that!  How many truly, real people do you know?

The first time I met Megan she was dancing in the aisle of a Hooters restaurant on the San Antonio Riverwalk wearing nothing but a diaper.  It was cool because she was very upfront about the entire thing, and as hip as any two year-old child could be.

We immediately became friends, and I have marveled as she has grown into a wonderful, young Aggie woman who turns 20 years old today.

In true Texas style, when Megan was chosen homecoming queen, she seemed sort of, well, embarrassed.  She smiled, took the tiara, thanked everyone, and went back to being just Megan… back to being real.

Megan knows about true beauty, and is studying to become a special education teacher.  Isn’t that beautiful?

It’s real.  Like boots.  Like Texas music. Like the Alamo.  Like love.  Like flip flops.  Like true friends.

Real… somebody shout amen!

Thought for the week:  "Get real."