my careless contagion

Love of a Lifetime was recorded in 1990 and released in 91. Ancient history. Probably forgotten by most who lived through those years. FireHouse was not a huge band (though their hair was), but they did have radio hits, of which this was their biggest. Sadly, I heard the lead singer passed a while back, but not before realizing how many people got married to this song, which he wrote.  Why am I, in 2025, writing about a song popular on the radio in 1991? Because, when the opening chords played all those years ago, I was captivated. I sat by the radio until it played (it was on heavy rotation) and taped it, believe it or not. I knew — someday — I would have the same kind of love he sang about.  It wasn't the first time I noticed an obsessive streak in myself. When I find something interesting or compelling, I chase it down every dark and winding path. (My last name actually means to hunt or to chase a defeated foe. It's an old name, now believed to be of Dutch origin, though we...

Consequences by Camila Cabello highlights some thoughts with which I'm familiar. It showcases Cabello's voice, as well, because the instrumentation stays mostly in the background. This is a sentimental ballad lamenting the consequences, good and bad, of a relationship that has come and gone.  Not all the lyrics fit how I feel about the girl I lost. I don't think what happened between us was "dumb, dark, and cheap," however, it definitely had consequences. Actually, the consequences are staggering. I've had a frame-of-mind change that I can't even equate with anything else. As time and a long, hard retrospective look have informed me, the consequences for me are a strong parallel to the birth of my son and other beautiful things I've seen. Speaking only for myself, I would never want to undo it. Someone once said that you have to accept the fact that things will never go back to the way they were. Such is life. Some things are undoable. Can a ba...