Push the Pedal Down...

[Inage courtesy adventuredrop.com]

There is nothing quite satisfying as a mid-summer late night drive, with the windows down and the soundtrack to your life pouring out from the speakers.


There's something about the open road and warm summer breeze that makes you feel uninhibited.


I don't quite know where my love of driving stems from. 


As a teenager all I wanted was a reason to escape the turmoil around me. Back then, it seemed a drive was the only thing that could physically remove me from any situation. It was the only time I could be alone with my thoughts - uninterrupted. 


You got a fast car, is it fast enough so we can fly away?
We gotta make a decision. Leave tonight or live and die this way.


Over the years I became habituated to taking a drive each time I needed to clear my head or make big life decisions. Life and all of its uncertainty seemed to become clear, more manageable when sitting behind the wheel...as if I suddenly knew which direction to steer myself, what choices to make. 


...can't help but ask myself how much I'll let the fear take the wheel and steer.
...lately I'm beginning to find that I should be the one behind the wheel.


There was also the music. As I am sure is the case for millions of others, so far as I'm concerned, driving and music go hand in hand. The car was the one place I could indulge in music without being questioned. My family always thought the intensity of my obsession with music was a bit much, that I should be employing my time and attention elsewhere (read: studying). So back then, driving also meant that I could satiate my need for music. Now, with adult responsibility eating up most of my day, it means having the time to take the music in, really listen to it, instead of simply hearing it. 


...Come on and we'll sing, like we were free.
Push the pedal down, watch the world around fly by us.
...And here we go, there's nothing left to lose.


Over the years driving has become less of an escape and more of a cherished pass-time. Whether its a long road trip out of town, or a quick drive to the grocery store, I simply love getting behind the wheel. 


I feel I am most myself when driving in perfect solitude. It is a time when I can cry my heart out, ponder my state of being, reminisce about years gone by, or have my own personal karaoke session (as tone-deaf as I may be) - whatever my mood. And the music is always there, of course, as per the mood. The best part of any drive, a faithful companion, to help calm my fears, or share in my joy & sorrow. 


...keepin' perfect rhythm with the song on the radio,
gotta keep rolling
...I'm driving my life away, looking for a better way...lookin' for a sunny day.


[Lyrics: Tracy Chapman,  Incubus, Mat Kearney & Alan Jackson]

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