Mix Tape

The War on Drugs- "Red Eyes"

This song is my jam. Give it a minute to kick in. Listen the whole way through.

Picture 2 parents, out for their first date in a long time. Couple beers in, feeling light and free. Laughing and dancing, no inhibitions at all. Totally in the moment. After the show, they wander outside. remembering who they were before having kiddos, when it was just them.. having the best time together. They round the corner to discover that band is outside throwing a baseball in the alley near the train tracks, so they join in.  They all just shoot the shit and play catch a bit. No hurry, nothing to do, nowhere to be. They hear the distant sound of a train approaching, so they place an old key on the tracks to create a souvenir to remember such a perfect night. They expect that they won't be able to find the key...that it was probably kicked up by the racing wheels, but after searching for a bit, they see the pressed silver shape on the gravel under the tracks.

Now picture Harper, Junie and I on a different day, driving home after some exhilarating time spent outside. It was one of those days when everything went right. Both kids were happy, I was full of energy, we had fun exploring nature. No bickering, no rushing, just me and them and the music. This song came on, and was about to reach its crescendo when we were getting ready to drive over a long bridge. So I rolled all of the windows down, picked up the speed a bit, and blasted the music. I got teary eyed that we all shared a moment. I could see their dancing heads and smiles in the rearview; those kinds of joyful smiles that look like their cheeks might explode.

After the song was over, I told Harper the story about how that song was special to his Daddy and me too, because of our special date. I told him about the key, and gave it to him from my wallet.

It now has a special place in his treasure box. A little symbol of his parent's love to hold in his hand.