When you sit back and reflect on your life, sometimes you find yourself re-living a moment over and over again, wondering why it is such a vivid memory, when it seemingly has no bearing on the life you have lived. Then, one day, a new and completely unexpected moment unfolds, linking the past to the present and making your life seem like a scripted Hollywood movie.
In the Spring of 1994 I had just celebrated my twelfth birthday. Not having hit my growth spurt, I was below average in height and one of the skinniest kids in my class, despite having the appetite of a small village. I had many of the usual interest of a seventh grader growing up in Massachusetts. I loved the Red Sox and Patriots even though I had yet to be part of a championship celebration. I ran cross-country for the middle school, attempted to learn guitar and enjoyed skiing in the New England mountains. However, I would have to say that my biggest interest was listening to the radio.
I loved music from an early age. I missed all of the rock and pop music of the 80s while instead being hooked on "oldies" music. My parents had introduced me to the likes of Elvis, The Beatles, Jim Croce and I grew my own passion for everything Buddy Holly. I would sit and listen to the Boston and Providence radio stations every chance I could. I would write down the song titles, who sang them and of course I made my own mixed tapes. The latter made sitting by the radio a full time job, even forcing me to call the station to request specific songs.
At some point in 1993, I was scrolling the radio and stumbled upon a country music station. the song playing that day was "Chattahoochee" and it hooked me on exploring a new genre. I quickly became a fan of Alan Jackson, Garth and yes, even Billy Ray Cyrus. The lyrics and storytelling that country music purveyed, enthused me. I wanted to be a cowboy and attended every show my parents would allow in the area, which weren't many. For some reason country music was not that popular in my area and I am pretty sure I was the only one listening to it at my school.
So, getting back to this "moment". Shortly after my birthday in 1994, I was walking home from the bus stop, a half-mile stretch of dirt road, when i passed my neighbors trash cans and found a cassette tape laying on the ground. After dusting it off, I found it read "Firehouse," a band I had never heard of and certainly not an oldies or country music band. I was quite excited about my new find and rushed home to give it a listen. After sliding it in my cassette player, I pressed played, turned up the volume and was immediately blown away. The first song I heard was "Love of a Lifetime." It was a powerful song for even a young man like me. I instantly became hooked on Firehouse and played the whole album over and over again, until I knew the words to every song.
While I thought I had stumbled upon a new band, it turns out I was once again behind the times. All of my school mates were talking about Weezer, a new album called "Dookie" and the death of a guy named Kurt Kobain. In light of this, I kept my love for Firehouse under wraps. I remember buying their "Super Hits" CD in 1999 on a ski trip to Canada, with my friends wondering why, and then again buying MP3s of their music in the early 2000s. I always had to have my Firehouse in the most current form of technology.
For whatever reason, the day I found that cassette is crystal clear in my memory and has played over in my mind many times. I have no explanation as to why, as it never seemed to have played a large role in any life decisions or really meant anything to me except introducing me to some great music.
Fast forward 18 years to 2012 and this Firehouse fan was now living in Nashville and took a one month study abroad trip to Taiwan. It was during this trip I met a girl from India. Mandy was intimidating at first, a bit loud and boisterous, but so delicately beautiful with her long black hair and playful brown eyes. I enjoyed her personality more and more as my trip went along. She was full of life and fun to be around. We laughed at the same things, utilized similar facial expressions and played well off each other's superb use of sarcasm.
One of the first things we talked about, after she learned I was living in Nashville, is her love of country music, specifically Tanya Tucker and Dolly Parton. This of course blew my mind. An Indian girl knows who these iconic country stars are, how can this be? We bonded a bit over country music and found ourselves endlessly flirting throughout the the end of the trip.
Despite growing close while in Taiwan, when I left, I never expected to see her again. I chalked it up to the bad luck I continually found with women. However, neither of us could seem to get each other off of our minds and we started talking just about every day on Skype. We learned more and more about each other's life before Taiwan and grew ever so close. Just on the fringe of the "love" stage of our long-distance relationship, it became clear that music was a strong bond we shared and I suggested we begin sending each other one song a day that expresses how we feel. Because if there is one thing music can do, it is express emotions and build bonds that simple words cannot.
When we first started sharing songs, I dug deep in to country music love songs since they always seem to tell a great story. There was John Berry, Doug Stone, Trisha Yearwood, and of course Alabama. Each song spoke about love in different ways and we both enjoyed exploring new music while also building a stronger base for our love to grow upon.
After almost 60 days and 120 songs we determined that the excitement of finding new songs to send to each other was dying out. On the last day of our share, I sent Mandy "Loving You is Fun," the current single by Easton Corbin and Mandy sent me "You Are My Religion."
Who sang the last song she sent? Well, it was none other than Firehouse, the band I fell in love with 18 years earlier. "How do you know Firehouse," I asked perplexed. In response, she said "everyone in my place knows them."
I am certain she could see the confusion in my face so I started naming songs and without missing a beat she would start singing the lyrics to each one. I was blown away! Here I was, a closeted Firehouse fan, who for years had to hide my love affair with their music, then along comes a beautiful girl, one I am already falling in love with, and I can finally share a deep hidden part of my soul.
Life's moments are just so unpredictable. There I was in seventh grade, a puberty stricken boy, who found a random cassette tape in the road. Those songs and that moment burned in my mind ever since, but I never could determine why. Then, there I was at 30, falling in love with a girl thousands of miles away and she presents me with a moment that brings my life full circle. My heart melted there on the spot and I knew I had found my "Love of a Lifetime."
