Over the years song lyrics have contributed significantly to the outcome of my life. Music re-orients my mood or perspective in an instant and I’m certain there is some neuro-researcher out there who thinks we should all have personal playlists to navigate our days and be done with angst and emotional BS altogether. So all of you country music fans must wonder why it took me so long to honky tonk over to your end of the music spectrum. It turns out the tickets I was given to the Kenny Chesney concert last summer created a peephole into the vast library of country metaphor and innuendo that has since perched a smile on my lips. Chesney himself- a little ball of muscle bound twang- wasn’t quite my style but his opening act Old Dominion painted an immediate tapestry of grass stained bare feet, sunsets, and forever love. I’m all in.
A winter woods walk last weekend with my earbuds in and Old Dominion on shuffle. I was no longer in the suburban back country early thaw muck of the local state forest but the wistful passenger in a shiny red pick-up truck, down an old dirt road, the summer sun hanging low on the horizon. The creek was cold, the wheat was high, and my heart fluttered easily in my chest. You can imagine how well it went when I got back to the house and the laundry pile. Real life baby. But that’s half the fun.
I’ve been thinking about writing a country song for our clients. Something they could put on repeat to drift away from reality every now again. Something that reminded them why they chose to do the project in the first place, that at the heart of it there is still the whimsy and joy that will come the very first night they stay in their new space with fresh paint, never before walked on carpets, stacked dishes in custom cabinets, a totally gorgeous stone counter at her gracefully lit master bath vanity, a new perfectly proportioned window that now views the garden, a stunning dining room posed for its first holiday, the just-in-time forever house for his growing family.
“Gotta treat your life like you’re jumpin’ off a rope swing ’cause the whole thing’s really just a shot in the dark. You gotta love like there’s no such thing as a broken heart. Cry when it hurts, laugh when its funny, chase after the dream don’t chase after the money. You have a windshield full of road to run and a gas tank full of freedom. Guess you’re makin’ all the right wrong turns tonight.”
courtesy of and inspiration by Old Dominion
I don’t know. Something like that.
So that’s it. I’ve got the red pick-up on idle at the curb. I’m ready to pick you up and bump down that old dirt road. Full tank of gas. Crazy. Beautiful. Always on my mind. We got it right. ‘Til its over.
Let Old Dominion Sweep You Away
Happy Trails Always,
Allison
