Wolf trap

Last Friday, my wife texted me and asked if I would accompany her to Wolf Trap Farm Park to see a Mary Chapin Carpenter concert. Now understand, I’m not a big fan of making plans at the last minute. My plan was to sit in front of the TV in an airconditioned house and fall asleep with three dogs on my lap. I’m also not a fan of sitting outside on a humid August night surrounded by a few thousand other hot, sweaty fans. But I AM a fan of my wife, so I decided to go.

I have loved Mary Chapin Carpenter ‘s music for many years. In 1987, the year I arrived at Virginia Hills, my brother gave me a copy of her first album and said, “I think you will like her music.” As I listened to her songs, they resonated with my 28 year old self. Songs about coming of age, being on your own, starting a career. So going to this concert was like going to see a long lost friend.

You know how it is when you haven’t seen someone in a long time, and in your mind they still look like they did the last time you saw them? In my mind I was thinking of a 28 year old Carpenter: young, energetic, and a little sassy. But when she stepped out on stage I was little startled. She is 30 years older than the last time I saw her at Wolf Trap. Her face carries the lines of age, and her voice is lower than it used to be. She also doesn’t move as quickly as she used to. As I watched her, it occurred to me she is the same age as me, and I don’t look much like I did at 28 either.

Carpenter has had some rough spots in the past 30 years. She suffered a major health crisis, a divorce, and lost her father. Her bearing on stage carries the weight of these experiences.

Carpenter’s songs take awhile to absorb. They grow on you as you discover ways that her story intersects with yours. Much of what she writes articulates feelings that you were never able to put into words. After downloading a few songs from her latest album, I find her words telling my story as she tells her own. Her latest album reflects on aging, struggling, falling down, and getting back up. They are poignant, thoughtful, painful, yet filled with hope. She is older, wiser, and at peace with her life’s journey.

Thanks Mary. It’s been good to get reacquainted! I hope to see you again next summer at Wolf Trap.