I'm Italy Mone and this is The Slowdown.

I can be terrible at answering the phone.

In fact, I answer the phone so infrequently that when I manage to call a friend, I'm often

accused of frightening them as something is sure to be wrong if I call instead of texting.

I can become a hermit too.

I close myself in sometimes and can be alone for not just hours, but days, weeks even.

And so when a friend does try to reach out or stop by or offer an invitation, I can hesitate

at times.

But I've learned throughout my life that every time I say yes to seeing a friend to a small

moment of pleasure, I'm better for it.

But sometimes those moments come more serendipitously.

When I lived in Brooklyn, I remember running into my friend Kayley on my way back home

from the gym and instead of going our separate ways, we went for a quick drink to catch up.

And then, on the way home from that drink, we stumbled across a live concert in an abandoned

public pool by famed Texas-based R&B performer Archie Bell.

He was singing Titan Up with his full backup band and it sounded so good we could hardly

believe it.

We still have trouble believing it happened.

Not only we were dancing and laughing and it felt like there was nothing better than

this moment to be alive on a summer Sunday in Brooklyn with a friend dancing by your side

and a beer in your hand and some legendary R&B band performing live right in front of you.

And what if I had gone home?

...