Jon ~ Part 3

Jon Meets Little Jon

We got to the venue fifteen minutes before we had to be there. We waited outside in the 106° heat for 45 minutes. We were sweating and I was watching my blood glucose level shooting up. I started to have concerns about the insulin in my pump going bad. I decided I needed to talk to someone about getting inside where it was cool… and I needed more water. My friend and I were given the okay to go inside the restaurant area to wait for our VIP access.

While sitting and waiting, I wrote a quick note and pinned it inside the puppet. I had wanted to write a detailed letter to Jon expressing my thanks and reason for making him the puppet, but there just wasn’t time. I had to settle for short and sweet.

As we were sitting in the restaurant, I saw two of the Beautiful Mind musicians come out to the bar to order some food or drinks. Mylon and Travis… I recognized them right away. I knew they were easy going guys. I took my concert poster to them and asked if they would sign it. As they were signing, I told them I had a gift for Jon that I had made. I told them it was unusual, but it was my way of showing Jon my gratitude for what his music had meant to me during a difficult time. I wasn’t sure when I would get a chance to give it to Jon, so I wanted to at least mention it to them. I asked if they wanted to see it. As I pulled the tissue paper off they leaned in and looked. The expressions on their faces and reactions were priceless for me. It was a moment of validation… that I had done something awesome. They were in disbelief and said Jon had received gifts before, but nothing like this. Mylon grabbed the bag and said he was taking it to Jon.

It was time to go in for the VIP Q&A session. We gathered around the stage with about 20-30 other people. Within a couple minutes, Jon and the band came out. I had wondered how I would feel when that moment came. Would I be totally star-struck and nervous? Would anxiety overtake me? For me, it ended up being a feeling of contentment… just being in that room. Yes, I hung on every word he said as he answered questions. I wanted to know everything there was to know. I wanted to deepen my understanding of this person. I wanted to feel that feeling of just hanging out with a friend and learning more about them. It was about respect and understanding. It was about feeling like he would understand me if he knew me. It was about having the opportunity to know someone who was essentially doing what I wanted to do. He was developing his talent and putting it out into the world for others to benefit from. He was brave in being willing to open himself to the world and not letting fear stop him. He was doing what he felt in the center of his being, he was meant to do. I wanted to know how he got to that place.

I raised my hand to ask a question. He pointed to me. “How do you stay focused? When you have a project you’re working on and you know you need to get it done, how do you stay on track?” He took a moment to really think about it. His answer was something I needed to hear.

When Jon was done answering my question, Mylon leaned up and said something to him and pointed to me. Jon looked at me and began talking about being blown away by what I made for him. He had someone bring it out from the back room. He had never received a gift like this one before. What I remember most about those moments, was the smile and laugh that came from him. Seeing him pull it out of the bag and play with it was… I don’t know… I just don’t have words for what I felt. To see that something I did, made this person happy meant so much to me. I had felt like he had given me so much through his music and I was able to reciprocate that. Now he was receiving part of me. It was a great moment. It was a moment of validation in following my heart even when others might not understand. I had the power to affect someone by being confident in the talent God had placed within me. I put myself in a vulnerable position. I knew people could have made fun of me, but I didn’t let that stop me. I just opened myself and let myself be who I was. Validation that I didn’t have to conform to what someone else thought was right or normal or expected. I was just being the me that God created and it felt good. I suppose in a way that makes this act a selfish one… but on the other hand, it increased my vision of seeing what God has given me the power to do. It confirmed for me that God wants me to be brave so I can spread kindness and joy.

I imagine some people may think it’s strange to put energy into doing something for someone like Jon. He’s already getting attention and his popularity is growing. Regardless of his success, I still see a person just like myself who needs to know someone is thinking about them from time to time. Not just about the great things they are doing… but about the person and the human needs they have. During the concert I turned to my friend and asked her, “I wonder what it’s like for him to do this part of it? All of this with the fans?” I was thinking to myself that he was just a person doing something he loved and in that process, these other things had now come with it. At the Q & A session he briefly mentioned he was sick. My heart went out to him and I thought about how he just had to keep going because he had people expecting him to be at each location and perform. I thought about how in doing this tour, he was having to perform to a certain level night after night. The energy required to put on that show was immense. I can see that from my naive eyes, even though I’ve never had to perform like that. This wasn’t just night after night of fun, it was work. I had a hope in my heart that in the midst of it, he was being able to take care of himself and get the rest his body needed to recover from each performance. His need for sincere care and compassion has not changed just because his music is being loved by people all over the world.

This whole experience is something that will remain in my treasured memories. My friend and I couldn’t stand on the front row during the concert next to the stage, our health wouldn’t permit it, but it didn’t matter. We had a fantastic adventure being on the back row of the bleachers where we could sit if we needed to. I was thankful to be with a friend that understood my health issues and was there for me. We stood, we danced, we sang, and we waved our arms in the air! All the activity caused my blood sugar to plummet, so I shoved glucose tablets in my mouth and chewed in between belting out lyrics! Even with having to deal with that… it was an incredible fulfilling experience for me.

Here’s the part where I have to tell you that I never took a picture of Little Jon after he was completed. I didn’t realize this until we were at the concert. I thought about hanging around when the concert was over to see if I could somehow talk to one of the band members and get one. Many thoughts went through my head. I knew these musicians had just given me an amazing concert. I knew Jon was sick. I didn’t want to disrespect them by asking for something for myself. It was also late, and I didn’t want to make my friend wait for me to possibly get a picture. I had to let the idea go. I had to remind myself that the creation of Little Jon wasn’t for me, but to bring joy to someone else… mission accomplished.