"Some People Feel the Rain. Others Just Get Wet"

As a little girl, I remember seeing my then teenager cousin who was born and is growing up in Hong Kong wearing a t-shirt with the face of a seemingly skinny man with a weird hairstyle printed on it. My cousin himself was just as skinny, if not skinnier, and was wearing the same hairstyle, which I will later find out is called "dreadlocks".

"This is Bob Marley." he told me in English with his Hong Kong accent, with obvious pride beaming from his face. I'm not quite sure where the beam came from nor why he would wear a t-shirt with a Bob Marley's face on it and wears the same dreadlocks. I could only come up with 3 possible reasons:

1. He liked Bob Marley's music
2. He grasped Bob Marley's ideology and philosophy and is into the cause that Bob was fighting for
3. He's just a teenager smitten with a temporary cultural fashion hype and trend.

I can't remember the combination formula I learned in my math class in high-school, but doing it manually, I came up with 7 possible combinations:
1 only. 2 only. 3 only. 1 and 2 only. 1 and 3 only. 2 and 3 only. All 1, 2 and 3.

At that time, up to the moment that I googled him today, my knowledge of Bob Marley is only limited to the fact that he's a singer. A reggae singer. A famous and legendary reggae singer. That's it.
Now that I have googled and wiki-ed him down, I know a little more. And yes, I do use Google and Wiki as a verb.

What caught my interest in the first place wasn't his musical achievements, but rather the lyrics to his songs and some of his sayings. I'm not sure if I'm into reggae at all. I tried listening to his songs, but I don't think it's my cup of tea, and I'm not one that is picky over music. However, the lyrics - I love them! Although I haven't had the time to go through them all.

I love the things he has to say about love and woman, and I'm about to share two of them here on my blog. They are quite lengthy for quotations. He was a man with much to say. Reading through them, I found that Bob Marley has an especially beautiful soul.

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life."

 "You may not be her first, her last, or her only. She loved before she may love again. But if she loves you now, what else matters? She’s not perfect - you aren’t either, and the two of you may never be perfect together but if she can make you laugh, cause you to think twice, and admit to being human and making mistakes, hold onto her and give her the most you can. She may not be thinking about you every second of the day, but she will give you a part of her that she knows you can break - her heart. So don’t hurt her, don’t change her, don’t analyze and don’t expect more than she can give. Smile when she makes you happy, let her know when she makes you mad, and miss her when she’s not there"

He is one of those legends whose names will go through one generation to the next, whose legacy will continue to bring cultural impact in big or small ways. Regardless of what century or millennium it is, there will always be a t-shirt with a Bob Marley's face printed on it and a teenager with dreadlocks on his (or her) head. I think Bob said it right when he said, "My music will go on forever" I don't think anyone or anything can take the music out of him.