What I’m For
I am in love with the state of Texas. If you're not from here, our pride can be difficult to wrap your head around. It's something bigger and deeper than words, and in the simplest of terms: you either get it, or you don't. I love taking trips across this state. Thank goodness it's so big!
More often than not, trips with my friend, Blake, aren't planned. I'll answer the phone and hear, "Be ready at three," and hang up thinking, "It's two, and I'm at the grocery store. Where are we going? And for how long? What do I pack? But more important – how much is this going to cost?!" I protest every time. "You can't just call and say that! I've got milk in my basket! I just can't do that!"
That's me, though. I am all about planning. Still, when three rolls around, I'm ready to go. I pack too much so that I'll be prepared for whatever situation we're about to get ourselves into. And even though I know I won't get a good answer, I still ask, "So where are we going?" as I climb into the truck.
These trips carry my happiest moments. The long stretches of road between Fort Worth and the hill country are my favorite to travel. While we do our fair share of talking, we also do a lot of singing.
We're both fans of old-school Pat Green (think Carry On and George's Bar, not Cannonball or Lucky Ones), and no trip is complete without Pat on the radio. Anyone will tell you that I'm more open to change than Blake, but occasionally, I can twist his arm into trying something new.
Pat's new album, What I'm For, feels better to me than some of his other recent albums (like Cannonball). It was the title track from What I'm For that really made me reach for this album again and again. I think that there is truth in these words. Sure, it's simple, but it's the simple things that I find most captivating.
I'm for wildflowers in the window, mechanics you can trust. I'm for crackers in my chili and leaving grudges in the dust. I'm for drive thru order takers who can muster up a smile. I'm for taking in that stray dog that's been hanging around for awhile. I'm for turning off the TV, getting off the internet. I'm for learning all the words to the Gettysburg Address. I'm for dusty pawn shop guitars and boxers past their prime. I'm for soaking up the wisdom when an old man speaks his mind. I'm for laid off factory workers when the wolf is at the door. You don't have to guess what I'm against if you know what I'm for.
Comments
I'm glad to hear that you understand that outsiders don't always get the "Texasophilia" thing. But you are right about the unexpected benefits of travelling by car in Texas. There's an awful lot of interesting history and people in this state, and you can see so much of it laid out as you drive across the land. And I too love to drive and listen to music.
You're lucky to have a friend like Blake who likes this activity. My husband doesn't like to drive!!!! I accepted him anyway, but we only really go on driving trips when there's something to go to on the other end. At first I had to struggle to understand and accept that for him "let's go out and drive around in the car for a couple of hours" was not a legitimate activity. But people are a package, so the amount of time I do this activity has been cut down for the last 17 years.
As for you, you enjoy it for all it's worth.
Thank you, Sonja, for your kind words! Blake is by far the one most interested in history, and he has been known to drag me (sometimes protesting rather heavily) to see things in which I had absolutely no interest. I usually ended up loving them anyway.
Here's hoping that there are road trips in your future, however big or small!
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