Fighting Dragons with You
After twelve years, Iโm finally telling the internet why I love Taylor Swift๐คย
Hello, internet using world. Iโd like to introduce myself to the few people who followed me. Hi! My name is Christa and I am a Taylor Swift fan with every fiber of my being. Full disclosure, this is a short novel so now is your chance to make an exit, but I hope you stay.
Taylor and my ridiculously furry cat, Lyle
(affectionately nicknamed โrent-freeโ), are the only two beings made of flesh and bone who have been consistent in my life for the last 12 years. With a close second being my son, Gauge, who just turned 10. I wonโt get into the details (in this post) as to why that is, but letโs just say there were a lot of ups and downs growing up.
The last 12 years have been an evolution for Taylor,
and subsequently, for me. At (dare I say it)ย
38 years old, Iโve found that a lot of things happen in a decade. Like, A LOT. Now, I donโt feel 38. I guess I owe that to humor, singing, dancing, sarcasm, and launching a successful career that didnโt exist 15 years ago โsomething that has made me always push harder to set new goals and stay humble. But one thing I didnโt do over these last 12 years that I deeply regret was starting a fan page for Taylor. I mean, ESPECIALLY since Iโm a professional travel blogger who makes her full time living from digital content!
Thereโs been a lot of momentum over the last 12 years
โdemands which left me with little to no free time. But I canโt blame my absence from the Swiftie family entirely on that. In fact, Iโd have to say, I blame much of it on fear.
Fear,
of being misunderstood, fear of judgment or writing something lame. Iโve had over 2,000 articles published online and in print as well as countless social posts, but the thought of Taylor seeing something I wrote and thinking itโs totally weird (or cough, too long for the internet), well letโs just say Iโd be less afraid of walking into a burning building.
Fear,
of being called a fake because the financial demands as a single mom left me little money to spend on myself or Taylor merchandise, much less tickets to a show. Iโve always placed my sonโs needs before mine.
Fear,
that I was too old to be a Taylor Swift fan. I mean, I was 26 when she hit the music scene and she was what, 16? Iโve been afraid. Afraid I would be rejected by other Swifties who really are the only people who understand this love we have for her ย โwhich is basically like being rejected by your own people. Also, itโs super weird to be following teens/young adults on social, much less engaging with them.
Fear.
Along with my fear, a perfect storm of entrepreneurial demands, single motherhood, failed relationships (one of which was a marriage), and family matters have served as a constant reminder that my dream of ever meeting Taylor takes residence on another planet. An actual trip to Mars seemed more attainable.ย
I feel like there is a whole demographic of women, โSwiftie Momsโ who echo my story,
having watched Taylor grow into the strong beautiful woman sheโs become. Women my age who love her from behind the wheel of their SUV, on the way to drop their kids off to school, on the way back from a milk run, in the dark hours of the mornings when theyโre dancing in the kitchen with a full on hair bun singing into a coffee spoon. Unnoticed fans who havenโt had the time to dive head first into the Swiftie Universe. But here I am. After all the fear and all the yearsโฆ
So, why?
This is a hard one to answer. I guess you can say that after many years of challenges, judgment from others, and doing the complete opposite of what logic and reason said I should ย โdivorce, single motherhood, a second degree in my late twentiesโฆ risking it all to start a blog (which by the way in 2013 wasnโt even considered a side job much less a career), I kind of got to a point where I became
fearless.
I had to be. I had this tiny living, breathing human being who was counting on me at the very least, to give him a life a notch above the shit show I had growing up. Not to mention parenting โwhich is basically wandless wizardry pulled directly from the asses of parents. It demands that your mini human grows up to be a better human than you.
Yeah, unpack that.
Take all your collective shit, figure it out, and then teach your mini to do it better โto BE better than you at love, kindness, respect for others (especially boys respecting girls), integrity, money, and to be fearless. All while giving them the comfort of knowing that you, mom, have it all figured outโฆ even when that couldnโt be farther from the truth.
Top that with the pressures of working in the public eye
โwhich, while on a microscopic level compared to a full-on celebrity such as Taylor, is still very much a juggling act with none of the entourage to lighten the workload. Add to it the demands of working with national brands, and the unwavering ability for other bloggers to tear you down at any opportunity, or even worse, try to get close to you so they can raid your success like a Black Friday sale.
I found myself at the peak of my blogging career
but I was consumed by fear, AGAIN! Fear of shady AF bloggers and publicists, and so much to lose. And fear that now, thousands of people would have an opinion of me formed by jealous bloggers, and they didnโt even know who I really was.ย
Thatโs when letting go of toxic people in my life became essential
โwhen, no matter who they were, or how I was tied to them, I had to realize that surrounding myself with the ones who lifted me took precedence over the ones who dragged me down.ย
After all thatโฆ.. I learned to give zero f***s about what people thought, or what they said behind my back.ย
And I had to start caring about what made my heart happy, what made my family and friends smile, and what inspired me to do better. BE BETTER. Be the example of fearless, with the hope that I was lucky enough to stay that way. But Iโm a vulnerable human made of heart and soul and sometimes people can still take the best from me.
I had to be fearless.
In August of 2017 when โLook What You Made Me Doโ blessed my ears for the first time, I felt it pierce my skin and course through my veins. And to the very bones of this young 38-year-old Swiftie mom, I was shook AF! I sang, I danced and I drowned out the haters in the blogging world. She had a very clear message,
She had zero f***s to give, Taylor broke the internet.
After watching the seemingly endless myriad of shade thrown at Taylor over the years, my heart erupted with happiness as her flawless first single from Reputation revealed one BADASS BITCH. And with every music video release of her new era, she became a mythical Goddess with bullshit evaporating superpowers. Like, I legit think sheโs an actual unicorn. After all, she does ride a caticorn named Olivia.
She got harder, she got smarter in the nick of time
One single post on my Facebook page praising her new era and new single she brought with it attracted a slew of hate speech, white people bashing, claims of Taylor ripping off Beyonceโฆ I couldnโt believe the things I was reading from fellow bloggers. I even had a GLOBAL BRAND threaten my business relationship in their ambassador program because I stood up for Taylor and spoke out about the hate speech which was placed on my own personal Facebook page. But I stood by my words.
Fearless.
Over the following months into early 2018, and to the tune of, โThis is Why We Canโt Have Nice Thingsโ, I, along with a slew of about 20 other bloggers, ended up taking down said global brandโs publicist who was using his budget and power to demean and sexually harass female bloggers (which would later reveal that blacklisting me was more about not buying into that bullshit rather than my voice on hate speech).
Zero f***s given to those haters.
Mythical Goddess with bullshit evaporating superpowers level officially achieved for Taylor, and even for me. Although I wouldnโt call myself a Goddess. Thatโs all Tay. ๐ค
She found love through the noise
And so did I. In November of 2017, I had approached the year anniversary of the greatest love Iโd ever known. My last stop. And as the tracks played on, my heart was full. We both found happiness through a seemingly endless sea of anguish.
Taylor is truly doing better than she ever was, and so am I.
Her resilience up against the media and the demands of the industry are perfectly fearless. And her decision to keep her beautifully growing relationship with Joe private is wise. Iโve spent the last year at home, which has been incredible. Iโve had a lot of time to think about whatโs most important to me, what has shaped me into the mom, partner and entrepreneur that I am, and it all comes back to Taylor. Thatโs why itโs time for me to be fearless again and officially join the Swiftie universe.
Iโve spent 12 years fighting dragons with Taylor
and growing a canyon of respect and adoration for her charm, wit, business savvy, musical talent, feminism, compassion, tenacity, love for animals, and of course her lovely, lovely, words. Iโve raised my son from birth with her. There isnโt a single day that is spent where Taylor doesnโt exist in our lives. For 12 years straight.
Thatโs a long time to love someone who has no idea you exist.
I play her music videos and YouTube uploads just so I can feel like sheโs with us. And so my son knows that sheโs one of the finest examples of a human being in his lifetime. I use Taylorโs kindness to teach my son how to be considerate and give back to others while sharing her fearless story with him so she can be a positive role model in his life. Taylor has essentially been part of our family all along.ย
My son Gauge has a running joke that Taylor is the only person that can make me cry
(which happens more than Iโm willing to admit). And itโs not because Iโm weak, or on the verge of a mental breakdown (although I challenge you to try parenting, you might argue that), itโs because I truly love her like a best friend. When I see her happy it makes me happy, when I feel her sadness, it makes me sad. Itโs visceral.
I donโt believe the human connection is meant to be one-sided.
I feel in my heart, as weird as this may sound, that we will meet Taylor one day, even against all odds. Existing in the same lifetime as Taylor without at least trying to meet her doesnโt feel right. I wonโt look at my son and teach him to let fear and doubt win, or that defying the odds is an impossible task.
Over the years Iโve been a spectator to her outreach to fans. Sheโs invited them to sessions in her homes, sent them gifts, invited them backstage, surprised them in their homes, made hospital visits, and Lord knows what else she has up her sleeve. And itโs all been done with pure excitement and love for her Swifties. With each outreach she extends, tears of joy are shed for fellow Swifties, and a ray of hope inspires me.
So, Iโm starting a personal blog
which tells a very personal story of all the dragons Iโve fought with Taylor over the years. From living in a car at 15 years old to getting invited to LA premieres for Walt Disney and Marvel films. And Iโll have no apologies for the truths that will be told (but will change names for privacy). It will be very personal and some of it wonโt be pretty. Because life isnโt always pretty.
Taylor is releasing another album this yearโฆ we hope,
and sheโll be on yet another tour in 2020. After 12 years Iโm finally ready for it. Iโve given my son everything he could possibly want or need. Iโve bought him a beautiful home in Northern Georgia. Heโs been able to travel the world and do things most adults havenโt even done. And I owe much of that to Taylor for giving me the strength to take major risks, the courage to face my demons, the balls to cut people out of my life who were toxic and the self-confidence to defy the odds and do things my way.
2019 is our year to show @taylorswift how much we love her.
Iโll let the universe do the rest. Till then, Iโll be fighting dragons with her as I always have and writing my journal for her and anyone else who wants to read the memoirs of an OG Swiftie mom who keeps it real AF, full-on hair bun and all.
