I have been very blessed in my life to have the opportunity to meet many "celebrities" from local bands that I had liked all the way up to One Direction when they first cracked America. I guess meeting these people that I love and look up to in some sense is a bit of an addiction for me and it gives me an inexplicable rush. There is one person that I thought I would never, ever get the chance to meet: Bruce Springsteen.

That was until he announced his book tour.

I was fortunate enough to get a ticket to his book tour for his new autobiography, aptly titled, "Born to Run". The ticket included a pre-signed book and a picture with The Boss. There were plenty of rules that came with meeting him: no outside memorabilia, no bags, one and only one picture and the list went on and on. I could care less though because I was getting to meet someone who had played a huge part in literally shaping who I am today.

So on Thursday, September 29 my friend and I woke up after little to no sleep at 5:00 AM to make the drive from school to Philadelphia where the meet and greet was being held. We waited in the rain for about three hours before we finally made it inside. This is when it finally started to actually hit me that I was actually meeting Bruce.

As they handed us the pre-signed copy of the book, my hands began to shake. A combination of excitement and nervousness causing some anxiety as my friend and I waited in the rapidly moving line. I had heard and read stories of other people meeting him but that's all they were to me, stories. What did you say to someone who has helped shape your worldview? What did you say to someone who had created a deep bond with your family that no one else understood through his music? What did you say to someone who had inspired your writing and proved that even a middle-class, average Joe from the swamps of Jersey could live their dream and be wildly successful at it?

As all these thoughts raced through my mind, we had been moving closer and closer to where the meet and greet would take place. It wasn't long before I could see Bruce Springsteen standing on a tiny platform taking pictures with other fans (I would also like to add that my friend and I were actually the youngest people at this meet and greet). I found that now that I could see him no matter what I did I couldn't stop grinning like an idiot and then felt an overwhelming urge to cry, which I luckily did not.

My friend went before me, talking to Bruce, taking her picture and getting a hug for him while I watched on with a grin as I desperately tried to control the shaking that wouldn't just stop in my hands.

My friend taking a picture with Bruce while I (and a random security person) watch on.

As my friend walked away and the security guard guided me towards Bruce Springsteen, I'm almost positive my breathing stopped, the shaking got worse and anything that came out of my mouth would not be from me because my brain was beyond spinning out of control. I still couldn't stop grinning as I hugged him and spoke to him.

"I just wanted to thank you for everything. My Mom passed away, and your music has really helped keep me connected to her and I just wanted to say thank you for how much I appreciate that." I somehow managed to get through all of that without crying, still grinning probably like a psychopath at this point, as I told my idol how much his music meant to me.

"Aww. Thank you for letting me be part of that experience."

My hero was thanking me? Even in that moment it seemed backwards to me because there was still so much I wanted to thank him for. It didn't hit me until afterwards just how much that said about how humble and down to earth Bruce truly is.

Bruce and I thanking each other.

Now it was time for the picture. I didn't have to worry about whether or not I was smiling because I still had that huge grin plastered across my face. We posed and I prayed to any and every higher being that the picture would come out alright, which besides the security guard's arm, I would like to think it came out greater than I could've ever hoped.

Before leaving, I thanked Bruce once more as I hugged him and in a moment that will never be topped by anything else to ever happen to me in life, he kissed the top of my head. To say I could die happy now would be beyond an understatement.

There's so much I still want to say and thank Bruce Springsteen for and if I am ever lucky enough to get another chance to meet him, I would love to tell him everything. While this might seem silly and superficial to some people, for me, this is a moment that means more than words can explain and it is just yet another thing I would like to thank Bruce for.

You can purchase "Born to Run" here.