Driving Impairs My Singing

We’ve had a few days lately that beckoned me to roll windows down, turn volume up and head off to nowhere in particular. Early in retirement I eagerly accepted that enticement regularly and took off with two must-haves for the frivolity: (1) mad money for snacks/gas (coins from purses/pockets and couch cushions), and (2) a bra for decency when handing over the clinking cash on those snacks/gas stops.

I know, I know, I could keep the gas tank above the half-way mark, head in a direction with establishments of drive-thrus, braless with a debit card handy. That takes prior planning, however, which aggravates me cconsiderably more than yanking on that particular item of clothing.

The results of such nonsense? Awe at the beauty of our natural resources, a welcome break from overthinking, and laughter, lots of it, even when running around solo. Performing on the stage of my mind for this audience of one can be hilarious.

With Mother Nature’s cooperation and a radio round of classic rock I mostly remembered, I recently turned errand-running into a carefree expedition. I cranked a tune up I readily recognized, though the lyrics were a bit fuzzy, and sorta sang along. Out of my mouth came, “Are you gathering up the cheese, have you had enough of mine?”

What? “That’s not right!” said left brain to right. So my ears perked up for the next refrain, and sure enough, that’s what my ears heard. The longer I sang, more of the lyrics surfaced, but at that spot in the melody I heard only “cheese” and my laughter at the absurdity.

Arriving at my destination declaring this jaunt two-thirds fun and one-third mission, I kept the windows down and the tunes up as I consulted Siri. She delivered pronto the name of the tune, and YouTube followed suit playing the rock hit, clueing me in on the lyrics. I paid just enough attention to the customer exiting her car in the spot next to me to share a grin as she looked my way.

These days philosophical axioms surface in tunes I sang and danced to mindlessly in my younger days. “Reelin’ in the Years” by Steely Dan exemplifies that. I’ll keep substituting “cheese” for “tears” to make the song more fitting for my quite pleasant present.