Four Crossed Logs: Seven songs for seven ages

"We Are Going To Be Friends" by Jack Johnson (ages 0-5)

This song reminds me of the innocence of childhood. I play it for my daughter because of the happy, folksy feel. I made some friends during the first five years of my life that I still keep up with to this day. I clearly remember meeting the first friend I made…I think it felt so great to make friends I decided to just keep on doing it till I found friends I didn’t want anymore.

"Bust A Move" by Young MC (ages 5-10)

Now you might think this is a weird song choice for my 5-10 age category, but it’s not the song but how I got acquainted with it. You see, I have two older brothers and I was the only girl for most of my childhood. They were my enemies, but I admired them more than anything. I would sneak into my brothers’ room and listen to their tapes and CDs – music was my first love, there’s no doubt about that. Young MC’s “Stone Cold Rhymin’” album contained beats and lyrics I had never ever heard. I grew up listening to 107.9 KVLY, an oldies channel my parents listened to in the car, and that was the extent of music to my knowledge. This stuff was just plain cool.

"'Round Here" by Counting Crows (ages 10-15)

During my musical explorations that continued to this point, I found a new album my brother, Jamie, got on his birthday in 1993. On that Sept. 14, I thought “August and Everything After” was almost the greatest thing I’d ever heard since Elton John and the Beatles. I was beginning to feel the emotions of someone who could only become a hopeless romantic. I should’ve better prepared myself by narrowing my genres to rap and heavy metal. :/

"That's How Your Love Makes Me Feel" by Diamond Rio (ages 15-20)

So here it is, 15. I still hadn’t had my first kiss, and I had decided to live in Dallas to babysit my cousin’s children for the summer. I became obsessed with country music that summer. Everything they sang about seemed so real, and song-by-song I dissected the lyrics to see if they would help me determine my destiny. This song made the summer feel like the best season of the year, and I was building what my definition of love was way before I ever experienced it. Little did I know, I’d get my very first kiss two months after I got back home.

"Nobody's Home" by Avril Lavigne (ages 20-25)

I moved out of town two weeks after high school. I had never been to Austin, but had decided I wanted to make it my home. I overcame an abusive relationship in high school, moved to Austin and fell in love with practically the first brown-haired, brown-eyed boy I had met. I decided he was “the one” and built a future with him before the words “I love you” had left my mouth. He left me for his ex-girlfriend, and I felt like my life was ending. (You wouldn’t know it now. That’s just the girl I used to be, and I was for about five more years.) I was so worried about what other people thought that I lost my own identity and kept hiding behind empty relationships. Every “I love you” slowly became a lie. I slowly became broken.

"Stop This Train" by John Mayer (ages 25-30)

Being out of relationships for the first time in 10 years allowed me to slowly find out who I truly was. I went through a pretty dramatic life change when I moved away for work and realized that sometimes the best things in life are in your own backyard. I had lost touch with the girl that was determined to be who she always wanted to be, the girl who took risks and smiled at strangers every once and a while. If you molded my parents together, you’d get the person I will strive to be for the rest of my life. I only recently realized how precious life really is. I can only look forward to living it from now on.

"The Luckiest" by Ben Folds (ages 30-Present)

I found the love of my life and got married. I have a daughter now. Life is anything but easy, but now I know what it’s like to have everything you ever truly hoped for. This song has always been one of my favorites. It’s mostly about a man telling someone how much he loves someone – I listen to this song and think about my husband, my daughter and both our parents’ undying love for each other – a combined 92 years of true love that will never be matched. I am the luckiest.

What songs tell your life story?