Year 39: 2011

 

Springsteen by Eric Church

On my 39th birthday, the last in Peru before we made our move to Bangladesh, Marianella treated me to a weekend in Mancora, one of the most popular beach destinations in Peru.  But to get there, you have to fly into another city and then catch transportation to Mancora via taxi or bus, which is roughly 2-3 hours away. The trip to Mancora was no problem, but on the return, we found out that the bus we had scheduled was canceled and we were left scrambling for a ride back to catch our flight back to Lima and make it to work on time. Through deft negotiation, Marianella procured us two seats in the backseat of a car already occupied with two passengers.  

As the car barreled through the dark night of the Peru countryside, the music accompanying us was a mix of '80s classics-U2, Journey, The Outfield, and of course, Bruce Springsteen.  While racing through the night, I was realizing the dream I had as a 16 year old-my arm around the woman I loved, listening to the soundtrack of my time, heading into the night.  It wasn't meant to be for me during my teen years, but I'll choose what I experienced at 39 each and every time.

I recall hearing during this particular year how Church's song was blowing up the airwaves and charts, but I wasn't really listening to country at that time (more on that later), so I never heard this song until just a couple years ago.  When I finally heard it, my mind immediately flashed to that night driving back from Mancora. In a roundabout and indirect way, it was if this song was written for that night.