ABBA dabba doo

Well maybe I read it wrong, let me check? Nope, that's right they're putting ABBA in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame. Well no, that's not right, but they're doing it anyway. Still no KISS? These cards are marked. I actually find KISS and ABBA equally annoying musically, but one has a much more legit claim to Rock 'n Roll than the other.

This whole Hall of Fame schtick anyway is fairly strange though. There's an HOF for darn near everything. Over in north Alabama there's a coon dog Hall of Fame, and out back a sort of Arlington cemetery for honored champions. So it's not the sort of thing I can easily get my brain around, this Hall of Fame stuff.

Hey! Maybe I have it all wrong after all! Perhaps in Cleveland there's a section for the enemies of Rock 'n Roll; yeah that makes sense. Scooch ABBA right in there, between Colonel Tom Parker and the guy who wrote that "Pina Colada" song. ABBA is going into the Hall of Shame section.

Shame's a funny thing too. We humans often lack it when it's needed, and have it when it's unwarranted. You take Tricia for example.

I was sitting there minding my own biz doing what I do best; gobbling up data to be spit out when required later. Parts of the human heart. Atriums, ventricles, vena cava, tricuspid atrioventricular valve, semilunar valve, bicuspid atrioventricular valve, blah blah blah.

"What are you studying? I'm in second semester of A&P (anatomy and physiology) and I'm only a sophmore in High School. Yeah, it's tough. Since I've been taking college classes it's the first time in my life I ever made an F, but regular school is tough too. The other kids pick on me and always have, because I'm smart. That's really tough; people don't understand."

I observed to Tricia that I do understand, since I was considered a gifted child. Explained to her it's nothing personal. Children socialize in selection towards conformity, that's just nature. Part of growing up is about accepting that one's differences can often be an advantage, while accepting there is an inevitable societal cost involved at times.

There was an awkward silence while Tricia looked at me, probably trying in vain to link the word "smart" with the person she saw sitting there trying to mind his own business. Didn't hold her up for long though...

"I'm not fat. Mom took me to the Doctor and he said I'm not fat; it's all muscle. I'm just a very strong person, that's all. It's my body type, nothing to be ashamed of in the least. I'm here because I'm studying to be a Nurse. You know why? Well I'll tell you. I don't mind telling anybody; I'm not ashamed about it. God came to me in a dream and told me to be a Nurse. He said I'm going to save lives, and I'll help lead them back to Christ. So that's what I'm going to do; what God told me. I'm not ashamed of it, not one bit."

I noted privately this was the third time the muscular teenager had used the word "shame" or a variant. I scratched my beard, closed my book, and told her thanks for telling me that, and there's no shame in being as God made us, with whatever advantages and challenges that presents us. The only rightful shame is not walking humbly before the Creator, and treating others thoughtlessly without remorse.

I told Tricia I'll be praying for her, but cautioned her every journey is hard and the map isn't what we expected when we started out. And then I excused myself to attend class. We left it at that, but I suspect we'll meet again.

Now ABBA, they've certainly earned a special spot in Rock 'n Roll Hall of Shame. Tricia though, doesn't belong in any Hall of Shame I know of. Get right down to it, she's way too young to have produced a body of work worthy of consideration.