Most who know me know that I’m a planner. I like to have my schedule all planned out, and I don’t do well with the unexpected. Ask my coworkers about my obsession with planners, and I’m sure you’ll hear several stories.
On the flip side, I love road trips. Oddly enough – road trips sometimes are known for being somewhat spontaneous. So – you wouldn’t think that I would do well with them, right?
Imagine the conflicting emotions I felt when I was invited to go to Nashville on a road trip a couple weeks before Thanksgiving. On one hand – I had never been to Nashville before, and I had been dying to go. On the other hand – how would I get the time off work? What about Thanksgiving? I kept thinking about all the reasons that I shouldn’t go. Then I thought about my list – and realized this would be the perfect opportunity to cross off number 6.
I talked to my family. Even though I wouldn’t be there for Thanksgiving dinner, we had several other family get togethers planned for the upcoming holiday season – and my mom gave me her blessing. I talked to my boss, and we worked out the ‘work’ side of things. Before you knew it – I was all ready to go.
It was a quick – but super fun – trip. We left on Thursday morning, and we were home by Sunday night. One would think the lesson learned here was just to be more liberal with my schedule, right? Not so much.
On our last day of the trip, we decided to venture out to the Grand Ole Opry for the day. What we didn’t realize – and ushers at the Opry confirmed to us – was that all the Opry shows were being held at the Ryman Auditorium downtown (where we had just traveled from) due to the fact that the Cirque Dreams Holidaze show was at the Opry House for the season. We purchased tickets to the show so we could go inside and tour the Opry House, but we were disappointed to find that more of what we wanted to see was at the Ryman downtown. We enjoyed the first half of the show, but left after the intermission so we could go back downtown to see some sights before we left. Plus – Ohio State had just beat Michigan, so I needed to drown my sorrows somewhere.
While at the Opry House we asked one of the ushers where they go to have a drink after work. (PLEASE NOTE: If you have never done this while on vacation, you need to start doing it. Hands down – this is the BEST way to find the BEST places to go.). After we left the Opry House, we went to the local establishment that had been recommended to us. We ordered a couple drinks and a few appetizers while we watched the Auburn game – which had a better outcome for us than the previous game that day. While watching the game, we befriended an older gentleman sitting alone at a table behind us. He was as invested in the Auburn game as we were, and we struck up a conversation with him about college football. What was meant to be a pit stop for a quick bite to eat ended up being where we spent most of the rest of our evening.
The gentleman that we struck up the conversation with ended up being the owner of the bar, and we sat and talked to him for hours. He introduced us to several of his friends that were there, and we heard stories about how the area around the Grand Ole Opry had developed over the years. We also heard stories from his friends about how they had worked for some of country music’s biggest names. The live music at the bar was amazing – and it was the best, TRUE “honky tonk” country music we heard while we were in Nashville. During our conversation with our new friend, all of my friends made sure to let him know that there was a singer at the table. After asking him – and in turn him checking with his house band for the evening, the best part of my vacation happened. The band invited me up on stage to sing with them.
When I finished singing, I hugged the band members. When I walked back to the table, my friends had tears in their eyes. I hugged Mark, who told me to go find our new friend and thank him for the opportunity. When I found him, he hugged me and asked me, “Do you know what just happened?” I started laughing, and said, “I sang?” He turned me around to face the stage and said, “No, sweetie.” He began pointing at the band members. “That guy used to play steel guitar for Randy Travis. Joe played the fiddle for John Anderson. You just sang with a professional band, sweetheart.” Then MY tears started.
I had the sweetest lady (who I still talk to) come up to me in the crowd to let me know that she had taken a bunch of pics and wanted to send them to me. Everyone in the bar was so friendly – it felt like we were back home. We made a lot of new friends that night, and it was the best way to end the trip. Although we had been disappointed earlier in the day, if that disappointment wouldn’t have happened – we never would have ended up there.
We headed home the next day, but I left a little part of my heart in Nashville……and I can’t wait to go back.
Lesson Learned from #6: Sometimes the most spontaneous trips result in the most amazing memories. Sometimes what feels like a mistake may just end up being what sets you on the path you’re meant to take. And – the next time you’re in Nashville, make sure you stop by The Scoreboard Bar and Grill.
The Forty Years 