An unforgettable night

Last weekend I took June to see Taylor Swift in concert here in Nashville. The lead up to the weekend was stressful. We didn’t have tickets because they were impossible to get back when they went on sale. As the date approached, June complained that she was the only one of all of her friends who wasn’t going to the show. The parent guilt was real. Apparently, we were the only ones who didn’t wait in the queue for 8 hours to score tickets.

Taylor was performing three nights in a row at Nissan Stadium. Friday came and went and we all had serious FOMO. By Saturday evening we were scouring the resale sites to try to find some reasonably priced tickets at the last minute. June and I were dressed in our sequins and ready to go if we were able to get the tickets last-minute. But they were all way too expensive. We couldn’t justify spending upwards of $500 per ticket to see Taylor Swift. That night after June and I had gone to bed, Daniel kept looking for tickets for Sunday, the last night. He found some and bought them. I was afraid to ask him how much he paid.

Sunday night the weather looked bad. It started raining and didn’t stop. Around the time the show was supposed to start the stadium put out a shelter in place order due to lightening near the venue. I was afraid the show would get canceled. We kept watching the weather, waiting at home, hoping for the best. It didn’t look good. Around 9:00 p.m. we decided to leave and take our chances. We got there and crowds of people were waiting outside to get in. Then they announced the show would go on and Taylor would take the stage at 10:00 p.m., two hours late. This was going to be a long night.

We were so excited to be there! We found ourselves in a sea of glitter and pink, girls of all ages with their moms or their friends, squealing with anticipation of what promised to be the concert of their lives. Taylor did not disappoint. As soon as she took the stage the screams from the crowd were deafening. When I realized how loud it would be I had a moment of real panic– How would I do this? There were 70,000 people crowded into this stadium and the noise level was incredible. Would I be able to handle this? I texted Daniel that I was worried I couldn’t go through with it. He reassured me that I would be okay. I took some deep breaths and I turned my attention inward, telling myself “You are not in danger. This is not a threat. You can do this.” This was my recovery work in action. Several months ago I would not have been able to stay in that environment. This time I chose not to listen to the trauma response. I dug deep and stayed. For June. And she had the time of her life.

The rain never let up, we got wet, June screamed the lyrics to every song along with everyone else in the crowd and I delighted every time I looked at the smile on her face. The show was amazing and went on for more than three hours. We didn’t leave until 1:30 a.m. June told us it was the best night of her life, something she’ll never forget. It had all been worth it.