Listen to Just Fine by Mary J. Blige

This is a song of such joyful empowerment ! It always lifts my mood. The words are better than all of Stuart Smalley's "daily affirmations."  If you're too young to know this Al Franken character from SNL; 1) I feel bad for you 2) look it up.

I looooove Mary J Blige. She is the Aretha of our era. She lives near me in a neighboring town, so I'm always on the lookout for her, though I doubt I'll bump into her at the pharmacy or Ben and Jerrys. Can't blame a gal for trying.  Hey, I once stood behind Lil Kim in a store here, have been at the gym with Chris Rock, and drive by Alicia and Swizz's house every day.

---

---

Listen to Just Fine by Mary J. Blige

I once read an interview with Mary that I never forgot. She was describing a performance she did as a young girl, and she spoke in the first person, which I love. I think the question was whether or not she performed in a group. Her response, "just like she does now, Mary went out on stage alone. " Queen knew her worth from day one. These lyrics are necessary for all of us from time to time. How we like what we see when we walk past the mirror. How it's our life, how we are juuuust fine, thank you very much. Mary has always been so generous in sharing her stories about the darkest parts of her life. She is equally generous in giving us the lyrical tools to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. I don't find myself listening to this when I'm in a bad mood, though it's clear why one would. I listen to it when I'm already in a good mood, and it always elevates me even further. She is so strong, and the strength in her voice can lift up the whole world at once. This is rare. It's the powerful force behind the voice that makes the voice itself as an instrument something otherworldly. I have dreamed my whole life about what it would feel like to get on a stage and belt it out like that. Putting my guts out there via song. It's ok, I can do other things. I am, as Mary knows, Just Fine.

Thanks, Girl, I needed that 😘