Blindsided

So there comes a time probably in most people’s lives where you think something-in this case a relationship- is going if not great then well enough, only to have everything fall apart.

I’ve no idea if this was the case for Justin Vernon of Bon Iver (read bon ee-VAIR, as in the French ‘bon hiver’ for good winter) and his once beloved ‘Emma’, or if this song refers to another aspect of their once-relationship that lead to, for me, one of the best albums of all time: For Emma, Forever Ago. After the couple’s break-up, Justin retreated to his Wisconsin farm home, locked himself away in a cabin for the winter, and came out with this beautiful record (drums and other synthesized instruments were added later.)

Sitting here tonight, blindsided, I think that maybe for the first time I can feel even a fraction of what Justin felt while writing this song. It certainly perfectly compacts how I feel.