driving with the windows down

Original post date: Wednesday, September 24, 2008


driving with the windows down

Hello - the other day I was driving back from the big HD (Home Depot for those of you not in the know). It was a great day as the weather is turning to more and more nowadays so I had my windows down. All my books were in the front seat of my car but my backpack (or as the people who try to pick it up call it - my bag o' weights) was sitting on the escaping pieces of paper. I was kickin it old school hippie, you know 1993 Blind Melon. Tones of Home, Paper Scratcher, Change and of course No Rain. I really haven't met a person who doesn't like that song, No Rain, although not indicative of Blind Melon's musical genre it is still a great song. Did I say great, I meant fantastic! Two ways I listen to this song...well two of my favorite ways...one is really loud in my house, room, empty warehouse, whatever and closed eyes singing loudly dancing around with no inhibition (yes, hippie dancing). The next is in my car, windows down, playing loudly, wind blowing, arm out the window as if I am flying and singing so that the houses on the other streets can hear me. Now, as I was saying, I was driving back from Homer D.'s store and pulled up to a stop light, just an ordinary stop light, and glanced to my left at the car in the lane beside me. Dad and older kid (maybe 6) in the front seat, Mom and younger kid (maybe 3) in the back. Nothing truly interesting just a typical family driving home I assume. Then the track changes on the cd and No Rain starts to play. Remember all windows are down and the volume is cranked. I start singing, loud, and in perfect pitch might I add, :). Anyways something catches my eye in my periphery, I glance back at the family next to me and the dad has rolled down the windows and is singing along with me. The mom is cracking up and the older kid is looking at his dad like he is crazy. We sing and laugh and say how great of a song it is and then the light turns green. I drive away with a smile on my face and laugh at how incredible music is and how it brings so many people together. I can only assume that the family had a laugh of their own and hopefully rejoiced at musics ability to connect as I did.

Now this is not the first time this has happened to me, and I am sure it will not be the last, the other two recent events happened at my local Starbucks in the parking lot, but I will tell you about those at a later date because well, no need to rant all night about how cool music is.