30 People. 30 Days. Day 11: Avery

​Avery is not Gwyneth Paltrow. Both were 23 year when I met them, but only one is a singer-songwriter from New Haven, CT. And like previously mentioned actress, he’s been at this game since he was a child.

At sixteen, he left home and moved to Atlanta where he signed with the infamous Clive Davis.  But as it often is in the “industry” promises are almost as sure as a marriage. It’s who you know, right.
 
Nothing seems to set Avery back. At least not on the surface. I am not sure if his cool, calm confidence and wisdom comes with age or with experience, but I suspect it’s a little of both.

Maturity doesn’t always come from a long life, he taught. But it does with experience. “We can only learn those lessons that help us grow by doing it.” ​It took me years to learn that lesson. 

​I can honestly say both Avery and Gwyneth impressed me when I first met them – full of life and hope and promise. The world is theirs for the taking, and nothing is going to get in their way.  Maybe that’s why Avery wants you to know this about him: “I am not as bad as you think. And not as good as I think.” That's a pretty good lesson on it's own.
 
When I met Gwyneth Paltrow I had no idea who she was.  I too was confident. But maybe not so astute. Yes, I told Gwyneth things like,  “Good luck, you seem like a nice kid.”  And yes I gave her career advice like, “Don’t let it get to you, it’s just the way the industry works” Had I known better, I might have noticed the puzzled look on her face as I walked away like a wise old sage who just "nailed it."  I was almost 30 after all.
 
In my defense, there were no Google or IMDB back then. And unless you were in the “industry” you probably wouldn’t have know that her movie Seven (staring Brad Pitt) was going to be released in a few days away from being released. Nor would you know her parents were famous. It wasn’t until I walked past a newsstand a few days later that I saw her face plastered on the cover of nearly every magazine.
 
I don’t know when, or if,  I will see Avery’s face on Rolling Stone or Ebony, but he was right. We must learn from past experiences and to pay a little more attention to the person in front of you. Be present, and mindful to those you meet – where they are no matter who they are. This is good to practice every day, with everyone, because you never what will become of them.