Day 11 - Hands Down
Dashboard Confessional
2002
Disclaimer: All perspectives, opinions, and memories in this entry are mine and mine alone. Some content is rugged, raw, and - sometimes - NSFW, but it's all authentic and included with purpose.
Why It’s On The List:
In June of 2006, I returned a phone call that would change my life forever.
I was getting out of the shower on a Sunday morning when I happened to look down at my phone to see a missed call from a family friend, Summer Kaatz. Our families had attended the same church for over a decade by that point and our parents were friends. Even though Sum was 8 years younger than me, she had graduated high school early and I had taken a few years off before returning to college so we were attending Old Dominion University at the same time. Every few months, we would catch up for lunch or coffee and she would tell me about whatever boy she was chasing at the time.
Her being so much younger + me taking a hiatus from dating at that time = I truly didn't have any initial romantic interest. It was nice to have a true female friend and I viewed her as a cute younger sister.
So it wasn't out of the blue for her to call me but it did seem unusual for a Sunday morning. My initial thought was that she had misdialed (she had not left a message) so I wasn't going to immediately call her back.
I honestly believe that there are just a small hand few of moments that you can vividly remember for your entire life. This has become one of those for me over the years. I picked up the phone, held it for a moment, looked out the window in my bedroom, and then called her back.
I remember all of that as if I'm standing there again, right this very moment.
Sum answered and asked if I was still attending the new church I had been checking out. I said I was and she asked if she could tag along. We went out to lunch that day, hung out that night, and began to hang out the rest of the summer before we started officially dating in October.
I really believe that if I don't return that call that morning, everything would have felt... just normal for both of us. I would have seen her at school that fall. I would have asked about that missed call and she would have told me about wanting to check out church and I would have been like, "Oh, sorry about that." And we would have already been on different paths.
That's why our entire relationship together feels traced back to THAT moment.
Here's what freaks me out: I don't know if I live in Colorado without returning that call. I don't know some of my best friends without that call. I don't work at my dream job without that call.
One spooky step further: there is no John Carl Mahler or Katherine Nicole Mahler without that call.
It is so crazy to me - and borderline terrifying - how deciding between returning a phone call or not can alter your entire life and the actual existence of other humans. Good lesson for me to listen to those little nudges from God. If nothing else, always return a phone call.
Never know where it might take you.
--
When we started dating, Summer was super into those emo-indie rock bands of the early/mid 2000’s. One of them was Dashboard Confessional and I listened to way more than I wanted to by association. I do have to admit that “Hands Down” still holds up as a pretty great song.
Maybe it’s because it perfectly described the entire dating experience while I was living out the entire dating experience. Like, it wouldn’t have meant as much to me if it came out now when I’m married and have 2 kids, but it meant the world to me then.
Interesting how certain songs can get placed in certain times in our lives.
This is one of those for me.
Listen to "Hands Down" here:
Favorite Line:
I was getting out of the shower on a Sunday morning when I happened to look down at my phone to see a missed call from a family friend, Summer Kaatz. Our families had attended the same church for over a decade by that point and our parents were friends. Even though Sum was 8 years younger than me, she had graduated high school early and I had taken a few years off before returning to college so we were attending Old Dominion University at the same time. Every few months, we would catch up for lunch or coffee and she would tell me about whatever boy she was chasing at the time.
Her being so much younger + me taking a hiatus from dating at that time = I truly didn't have any initial romantic interest. It was nice to have a true female friend and I viewed her as a cute younger sister.
So it wasn't out of the blue for her to call me but it did seem unusual for a Sunday morning. My initial thought was that she had misdialed (she had not left a message) so I wasn't going to immediately call her back.
I honestly believe that there are just a small hand few of moments that you can vividly remember for your entire life. This has become one of those for me over the years. I picked up the phone, held it for a moment, looked out the window in my bedroom, and then called her back.
I remember all of that as if I'm standing there again, right this very moment.
Sum answered and asked if I was still attending the new church I had been checking out. I said I was and she asked if she could tag along. We went out to lunch that day, hung out that night, and began to hang out the rest of the summer before we started officially dating in October.
I really believe that if I don't return that call that morning, everything would have felt... just normal for both of us. I would have seen her at school that fall. I would have asked about that missed call and she would have told me about wanting to check out church and I would have been like, "Oh, sorry about that." And we would have already been on different paths.
That's why our entire relationship together feels traced back to THAT moment.
Here's what freaks me out: I don't know if I live in Colorado without returning that call. I don't know some of my best friends without that call. I don't work at my dream job without that call.
One spooky step further: there is no John Carl Mahler or Katherine Nicole Mahler without that call.
It is so crazy to me - and borderline terrifying - how deciding between returning a phone call or not can alter your entire life and the actual existence of other humans. Good lesson for me to listen to those little nudges from God. If nothing else, always return a phone call.
Never know where it might take you.
--
When we started dating, Summer was super into those emo-indie rock bands of the early/mid 2000’s. One of them was Dashboard Confessional and I listened to way more than I wanted to by association. I do have to admit that “Hands Down” still holds up as a pretty great song.
Maybe it’s because it perfectly described the entire dating experience while I was living out the entire dating experience. Like, it wouldn’t have meant as much to me if it came out now when I’m married and have 2 kids, but it meant the world to me then.
Interesting how certain songs can get placed in certain times in our lives.
This is one of those for me.
Listen to "Hands Down" here:
Favorite Line:
If you don’t scream out the entire end of the song...
“Hands down this is the best date I can ever remember
“Hands down this is the best date I can ever remember
Always remember, the sound of the stereo
The dim of the soft lights
The scent of your hair that you twirled in your fingers
And the time on the clock when we realized it's so late
And this walk that we shared together.
The streets were wet and the gate was locked so I jumped it
And let you in.
And you stood at your door with your hands on my waist
And you kissed me like you meant it.
And I knew that you meant it
That you meant it”
...then you are dead inside.
If You Liked This Song...
Here are some of my other favorites from our dating days:
- Look After You
- Little Wonders
- Fall For You
- Love in This Club
- Invisible Touch
...then you are dead inside.
If You Liked This Song...
Here are some of my other favorites from our dating days:
- Look After You
- Little Wonders
- Fall For You
- Love in This Club
- Invisible Touch
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