January 24, 2013

Last night, I was fortunate to have dinner at Lauren and Daniel Goan's home.

That's Daniel and Lauren. Here is what it is like to listen to their music:

Daniel and Lauren are raising money for their new album on Kickstarter. They have $4,000 raised, but they're asking for $12,000. So if you're a fan of music and artists who write their own lyrics, compose the music, then perform it superbly, please support Daniel and Lauren. And do so before February 1st.
     Daniel and Lauren are working very hard this month and next, taking a break from touring but putting out a big album of their best. They write the songs, compose the music, then perform it! What a combination – especially when you add two of the most delightful and superior people I have ever met.
     Sunday is Lauren's birthday; she'll be 25. Tuesday night, Daniel's family had a birthday party for them, a few days in advance. Lauren received gifts;and the custom in their home is everyone present expresses the special gifts The Birthday Girl brings into their lives.
     Lauren's "sweetness" was emphasized. My very special friend, Jenny Kimmel, is sweet, too, but Jenny doesn't like being totally defined by her sweetness. Lauren doesn't seem to mind, but I think Lauren is not well defined by "sweetness" She is as lovely as she appears to be, no doubt. But she has a reflective and melancholy aspect, too, she is very deep, and, for me, "sweetness" doesn't capture her depth.
     If I were at a family birthday party, and I were called on to praise Lauren on her 25th birthday, what would I say? Because everyone has just emphasized how sweet she is. I would say, "Lauren is kindness herself, no doubt. She is beautiful and sweet, yes, no doubt. She sings so harmoniously with Daniel, it is a joy to be in the audience, to be at the table with her, just to have her in your life. But Lauren is much more, even, than all these special and extraordinary attributes. She is a woman of profound courage and complexity. She has a bottomless contemplative spirituality and is infinitely mindful and considerate. Considerate of others, yes, but also considerate of herself and her place in our community. She is dynamic in the sense of ever-evolving, but unlike most people she doesn't change so much as add on. That is, as she deepens her character and adds to her personality, she grafts these new attributes on to an already existing existential self.  You might say Lauren is blessed. But I believe she has earned all this richness and love. Because of her selflessness and sensibility. She is a woman as capable of joy as she is of sorrow, and I am sure she has experienced both. There is no doubt anyone who has the privilege of being friends with her is a very fortunate person indeed."
That is what I would say about Lauren Goans, on her 25th birthday.