"Heartbreak is the National Anthem - we sing it proudly"
- Taylor Swift, New Romantics
We all know my love for Taylor Swift. I mean, if you look at my spotify wrapped at the end of the last three years, she's been my number one artist. Each. Year. So when I saw on Facebook that Skully's Music Diner in Columbus, Ohio was having a Taylor Swift Night, I HAD to buy a ticket. I actually bought a ticket for me and a ticket for a friend, but that friendship fizzled out recently, so I decided to go alone. Just like I said in the last post about Jesse McCartney and going to concerts alone - I am not going to sit around and wait for some to go somewhere with me, especially if it is something up my alley and fun. I shuffled my T-Swizzle playlist and got ready for hours leading up to heading to Columbus.
Car rides are one of my favorite activities. There's not much I love more than blaring music and singing my heart out on long road trips. The hour drive was fun all on its own and really got me excited for the events of the rest of the night. Luckily, I got to The Short North rather early because me and parking do not mix. I tried so hard to find parking close to Skully's to ensure I didn't have to walk in the frigid temperatures or in the dark alone, however, that didn't work out in my favor. I searched everywhere for a parking spot and the closest one that was public was about an eight minute walk from the main strip. "Okay. This is fine," I thought to myself, "I'll pay on the app and it'll be fine." I walked my happy ass through the snow to the venue and they were letting 21+ in early to hang out at the bar, so I did. I checked in, showed them my license, got my wrist band and showed them my vaccine card, and was able to order a merlot at the bar, (don't ask me why I ordered wine when I hate it, but hey, when in Columbus).
Around nine o'clock the back of the bar was open for the standing room where the actual event was taking place and that meant everyone was allowed to pile in. I'll be real, this one was a little awkward because everyone there brought a friend and it wasn't like a normal concert. I clutched my security drink in one hand and was holding my phone in the other. The crowd began chanting "Taylor! Taylor! Taylor!" and the DJ hopped up on stage. The first thing out of his mouth was, "somebody keeps saying somebody's name?" and before we knew it the room was filled with "ONCE UPON A TIME... A FEW MISTAKES AGO.." It was the best moment. Five songs in and I already lost my voice. I could feel my voice straining and the pain in my throat, but that definitely didn't stop me. I screamed lyrics, sang my heart out, and danced until I was sore.
I knew I had to drive home, so I kept the drinking to a minimum, but one of my favorite moments of the night was when I went up to the bar to get a High Noon. While we were waiting in around for our drinks, the DJ played Better Than Revenge and everyone in line was screaming the lyrics, leaning over the bar and hugging each other. The bartender was a tad stressed. I'm pretty sure I spent five hours Friday night listening to iconic songs.
That's when things decided to take a sharp turn in the direction of "oh shit, this is bad." I left little before one to ensure that there was still going to be a huge crowd of people on the streets so I wasn't walking in the dark to my car completely alone. I began the very cold, eight minute hike to the parking lot that I had left my car in early. My gps was giving me directions and it was a simple walk to where my car was. Except, when my gps said my car was in front of me, it literally wasn't. I started to get disoriented and thinking I was in the wrong area. I said out loud to myself, "oh. I'm going to cry. This is happening." This lovely girl was coming out of a building across from me and heard me say that and asked if she could help me. I explained to her that my car was not in the spot I left it and I didn't know what to do. I'm not from around there, it's cold and its nearly one-thirty in the morning. She told me she worked at Fireproof and would call her coworkers to tell them I was being sent in to get out of the cold until I called someone.
I got into the restaurant, crying at this point, and a guy (I don't recall any of the names of the people I met, but they made such an impact on me that I'll forever remember them) pulled me into a hug. He told me it was going to be alright. It was nice. He called around to see where my car was and we learned that it was in fact towed, but the towing place had just closed, and didn't open again until six the next morning. The guy called hotels to see if they had any cheap availability - was honestly really helpful. I ended up calling my dad. He told me he was coming to get me, but it would take around an hour for him to get there. He asked me where I was from and by some grace of God himself, one of the workers was actually from my hometown. We introduced ourselves and he was so kind. They invited me down the street to Gallo for drinks. The man from my hometown bought me cocktails and talked to me about life until my dad texted me to tell me he was there to pick me up.
Here's the thing: I had such a fantastic time at Taylor Swift Night. it was truly the most fun I've had in weeks and I'm glad I went. And yes, in the end it didn't go as planned - in fact it went worse than I ever expected it to go. However, I still had the best time with the people I met at Fireproof and at the bar. I'll have memories for the rest of my life to look back at. This taught me something about myself: even in the worst case scenario or situation I continue to live my best life. I still enjoy every moment even if it's 100% go with the flow. I know that if that happened years ago I wouldn't have been as a calm and I sure as hell wouldn't have had a good time in that bar with those strangers. I was able to go with the waves of life.
I'm proud of myself for once again showing myself I can get through anything and have fun doing it.
I'm proud of myself for doing whatever it is I want to do.
I'm proud of myself for taking life on full force.
I cannot wait to see what '22 has in store for me to see, do, and experience.
All the love,
Erin
