A Song, A Beer and A Thought

The year was 1991 and it was a hot summer day. I was walking along down the sidewalk that hot afternoon and I had a world of trouble on my mind. There was this girl who broke my heart, there were these 3 guys that wanted to kick my butt and I was broke. So as I walked along I contemplated all of my worries over and over and when I would momentarily forget them, they were replaced with boredom. It was one of those moments when a torrent of negativity just sort of takes you over and you’re unhappy with almost all aspects of life.

  As I was walking along I could hear a car slowing down and pulling over behind me so I looked. I was relieved to see it was a buddy of mine and not those three dudes that wanted to kick my you-know-what!  “Hey man, wanna drink a few brews and go for a cruise?” he asked me. “Hell yeah! Lets go” was the answer of course.  It is bad to drink and drive but we were kids…stupid!

   We didn’t hurt anyone or get in trouble that day but we sure did have fun! “I’ve got these new speakers hooked up, wanna blast some tunes?” “Sure” I said. So he puts the Scorpions tape (as in cassette tape kids) in the radio and on comes this song. Wind of Change by the Scorpions was a big hit in 91’  and I really liked the song.  I had just heard it only a few times prior to this day but the song had already captured my imagination. Now I was going to get the chance to listen to it over and over again. A most beloved teenage pastime.  I remember  I was leaning back with my feet out the car window with a much needed cold brew in my hand just as the sun was about to set. As we cruised around I could feel that the whole summer time vibe was in the air, and the music blaring out of those new speakers only seemed to emphasize it. A sudden moment of pure elation, that one can ONLY feel on only the most beautiful of summer time days had come over me. I guess sometimes the feelings you've had are even more memorable than the days on which you had them! 

   Suddenly I noticed that I wasn’t worried anymore or concerned with all of the trivial things that had me feeling down and out all day. I just sort of basked in the glory of summer and freedom, the kind of freedom you have at 17 or so. As the song kept playing over and over, we both just cruised around town just as it was about to liven up. Strangely the thought dawned on me “Are these days going to be the best days of my life? Am I going to remember this day many years from now or will time steal it from me?” 

  Well I’ve forgotten about a lot of those good old days but I still remember fondly that that summer was probably the best summer of my life, and whenever I hear “Wind Of Change” (which is actually quite seldom these days) I am silently filled with nostalgia and usually find myself daydreaming about cruising around with my old friend back in 1991.