Out the door. 6:30am.
Driving to a team meeting in Manhattan.
Freezing rain. Tap tap tapping on hood of car.
Passenger side wiper banging on an ice chunk. Curse. In a hurry. Again.
Fwap. Fwap. Tap. Tap. Fwap. (You could stop and clear it pal. You could. Or you could keep watching and listening to this show. Show plays on.)
I fan through playlist.
Dreary day. Fog. Rain. Icy conditions.
Feels like, looks like, Detroit. I rifle through playlist hunting for Bob Seger.
And, land on “Against the Wind”
Traffic slowing. Yellow caution lights frenetically flashing.
Salt truck scattering its melting magic on I-95.
I turn my attention to the lyrics.
↓ click for audio (Bob Seger – “Against the Wind”)
It seems like yesterday
But it was long ago…
We were young and strong, we were runnin’
Against the Wind
Running. To get on travel teams. To get grades. To get out of high school. To get the girl. (No one would have me!) To get to college. To get to adulthood. To get. To acquire. To, To, To, something else…
There were oh so many roads
I was living to run and running to live
Never worried about paying or even how much I owed
Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
Running. Maniacal. Pushing. Driving. The Mad Russian setting a wicked pace. Zero patience. Even less tolerance. Get on the bus. Or…
I’ve got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out
Running. Larger workload. Bigger teams. More travel. Work-life balance. (What’s that?) Drag it home on weekends. Next goal. Next hill. Next win.
I’m older now but still runnin’ against the wind
Well I’m older now and still runnin’
Running. Older, yes. And, World has turned. And, not a kind gentle turn. Do more. With less. Rottweiler has turned German Shepard. Painful lessons have tattooed some savvy, some nuance, some measure of a governor on mouth. (Underscore “some.”)
Attendant reaches out for my car keys.
And I begin walking up the parking garage ramp.
Rain drizzling now.
I pull open umbrella.
Heart beat quickens.
Country boy is back in town.
And I march down Fifth Avenue.
Game on NYC.
Game on.
I was living to run and running to live
I’m still runnin’ against the wind
I’m still runnin’
I’m still runnin’ against the wind
Still runnin’
Image Source: Formidable Photography
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Live & Learn 
Good song. And perfect for your situation.
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Thanks Anneli
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Awwww, David, can we play the song “Lean On Me” now???
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Awwwwww, How sweet are you Carol!
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🙂
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As ever, David, you tell a fantastic story.
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Thank you Michael.
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Masterful as always, David. I love the way you employ a tune as a “launch pad” for your ruminations. “Ya had me at hello,” so to speak…. ;-).
Two things also sprang to mind as I read this. First, you need a dash of Sarah Dashew’s song “Take Me In” to leaven the frenetic pace, give ya a “safe harbor” as it were. Second, you mentioned Detroit, which reminded me that I heard an interview on “Fresh Air” yesterday with former NY Times reporter Charles LeDuff who has moved home to Detroit after many years away and has written what sounds like a fascinating, provocative book about the city, “Detroit: An American Autopsy.” http://www.npr.org/2013/02/11/171702111/an-autopsy-of-detroit-finds-resilience-in-a-struggling-city
Thank you for jump-starting my brain first thing in the morning, David–ya never disappoint.
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Thank you for your kind words and thoughts Lori. And I will check out the NPR clip. Thanks for pointing me to it.
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Dave, great post… Have me wondering what tune I’ll be playing during my ride from JFK to the office near Lincoln Center on Friday. Sometimes the driver takes a route through non-gentrified hamlets that remind me of Detroit. Can’t wait to hear which tune you’ll bask in during your trip back home.
Joel : )
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🙂 Thank you Joel. Smiling. I’m frequently impressed as to how much influence music has on my thoughts and well being. JFK to Lincoln Center has to be 70’s-80’s rock….
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Great post. Am a huge Segar fan and find his music timeless. My college roommate of two years declared “Like a Rock” as my personal anthem. I think the Chevy commercial had something to do with it, but a kid from rural Missouri was still a bit of an oddity at Wake Forest.
My view on this is we are wired for what Teddy Roosevelt called “the Strenuous LIfe”, no point in trying change our natures, but choosing good music for the journey helps.
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So true Len. And as to “Like A Rock” – that Man song can work anywhere in this country in my opinion. 🙂
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And through all this beautiful extemporanea, all I could wish was for you to give yourself one ounce of permission. Just one ounce. Gorgeous post, and I I only wish for the the wind to be at your back.
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Thanks for giving the permission. I’ve taken the ounce. 🙂 Thank you Mimi.
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Bob Seger’s songs bring back so many memories. Thanks for the trip back to the 80’s. however brief.
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Don’t they though Susan. Some artists just snap your head back to the moment(s) when you played it in our younger days.
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Perfect song !!
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Thanks Judy
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Lots of coffee shops and subways to duck into on a bad day…Manhattan’s got the escapes if you’ve got the need… 🙂
Excellent combo above…words, images, music…
– J.
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Exactly. Manhattan is built for duck-ins. Thanks for the kind words and for stopping by Jeff.
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Meant in the nicest possible way – it must be exhausting to be you 🙂
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Laughing. D*mn it LaDona. You are right. I am exhausted being me!
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The way you have tried to show the meaning of the lyrics by way of illustration I like that more.
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Laughing. Don’t know where it came from actually. Exhaustion makes you focus on certain words…:)
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Trust me it has added value to it. May be you have no idea what you have written =) a masterpiece I believe.
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I’ll go with that! Thank you Sonia
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