music memories: a mixtape from 1997
for most of 2016 thus far, i have been completely soaked in memories from the 1990s. it’s a theme that i did not select, it came about on its own. why fight it? i allow the waves of memory to wash over me without being sucked into the ocean. it’s oddly therapeutic.
a few days ago, i got a text from my dear friend Judith with the following photos:
it was thrilling to see my own handwriting from so long ago! it had to have been 1997 when i made this tape, back when i first met her. we were both artists trying to figure out how to make that a career. we met at a mutual friend’s party in dallas and became friends almost immediately.
she mentioned that a card i sent to her arrived the same day she found this mixtape in her mom’s garage. it had been in a box since 2011. we even talked about this tape when i was in texas in january this year, so i was so tickled to see photos of it. it was strange to see nuances of who i was almost twenty years ago. some things truly never change.
these are still, to this day, some of my favorite songs in the whole wide world. as i looked at the track list, it became clear at what point in my life i made this mixtape. this was when i began to feel a major heartbreak coming on. i was in love with someone that didn’t feel the same anymore. you can almost hear the longing as the tracks play.
below, you will find the digital version of this fine mixtape with all the tracks in the same order as the original. i like to think that 1997 has come back around to remind me of who i am and what i always dreamed of; being an artist, seeing the world, meeting people who bring unconditional love and joy into my life. i have all of these things now. today, i am the happiest i have ever been; it has nothing to do with a job, a lover, or possessions. it came when i let go of who i thought i was supposed to be and embraced who i truly am.
i hope you enjoy this trip back in time with me. now, i must get ready for a road trip to the desert to create more music memories to share with you. ❤
ticket stub story 