Meeting my Destiny #1: Bruce Springsteen

This story starts in the 10th Grade of High School.

On a certain Friday, many of my friends & I, somehow ended up at the mall in Boardman, Oh. during school hours.
On this fateful journey, I walked into a store that sold cd's and quickly grabbed Bruce Springsteen's Greatest Hits album.

Initially, I thought he was the guy who sang, "Born to be Wild" (which me and my friends definitely were at the time...or at least I had thought).

After a trip to the food court, it was back to the school to brag to our obedient friends about our adventure of skipping.
On the way home, Bruce found his way into the Cd player…and my first thoughts were:  "Um, this song Born to Run in no way reflects Born to be Wild"

I hit the eject button.
Put the Cd into the case
and  put it on the floor. (Forgive me for my sins…)

Thankfully, over time, that cd found its way back into my player and caused something inside of me to start my Bruce-a-Holic journey.
Soon afterward, I found myself going to Wal-Mart to buy all of Bruce's albums.

Two years later, the Twelfth grade rolled around and I graduated high school with Bruce.
I then was on my way to Georgia for college, and of course, I brought Bruce there too.

SIDE NOTE: If you have been to college, you will know that this was a major make or break time for me and Bruce. Remember, as a freshman, you want to fit in. And listening to a guy in his 50's usually is the way NOT to accomplish this.

Anyway, I started my freshman year with Bruce and when four years had rolled by, (and many converts later), I graduated with him.
The next part of my journey only re-enforced my Bruce-like vigor.
It was my first job out of college, and I had a boss who lets just say, didn’t like The Boss. 
But believe me, Bruce was really was hitting home with me during this time.
It was like his music was actually saving my life at times...

Then came my wife Christen, and my job was to convince her that all other musicians where phonies; not worthy of her time...and to only pledge allegiance to Bruce. (Which she does now, but mostly cause she loves me).
Many concerts later, road trips, broken Cd's, and tapes from garage sales that my mom just will never stop buying me (even if they are Rick Springfield!) ... there just is not anyone out there like Bruce.

Destiny struck me that day when I was in the 10th grade like a high jacker in downtown New Castle.
For me, the saying rings true, “Once you go Bruce…you never go back!!”
Sure I made that saying up, and I know I talk like Springsteen himself was physically with me since 1994...but hey, that's just me.

For me there is no other.

"Blow away the dreams that tear you apart,

blow away the dreams that break your heart,

blow away the dreams that leave you nothing but lost and broken hearted."

Next: Destiny Tracker number two, Christen