I wrote about Alan Jackson last weekend, and then I put him on. He shuttled me right back to my college days, to a time in which it seemed that the entire world spread out in front of me, waiting for me to choose it. When I think of college, I think first — and bizarrely, perhaps, as class wasn’t in session at the time — of slow Charlottesville summers, when the days dripped by, unhurried and hazy. Landon fixing things in my apartment, and me fixing drinks in his kitchen. Bare feet, still heat, the torpid call of cicadas. Alan Jackson and Tim McGraw, the familiar but unpeopled walk to The Corner holding hands, and Landon driving through grass to take me tubing on the James, where we drifted through a 95 degree afternoon, his hand occasionally reaching for mine to keep me close.
We were just standing in the middle of August, idle and happy. Nowhere to be but together.
Alan Jackson returned all of that to me in a rush. The slow limberness of that time, and the way “real life” lay just around the corner.
When I wasn’t lost in memory, I paused and paid attention to his song “Neon Rainbow,” which I’ve always sort of skip-sang my way through, unaware of the lyrics. This time, I listened to Jackson singing his success story: the way music and the stage have always called to him, despite the challenges of “making it.” And one stanza leapt out at me:
Daddy’s got a radio
He won it 30 years ago
He said, “Son I just know we’re going to hear you singing on it some day”
Well, I made it up to Music Row
Lordy, don’t the wheels turn slow?
Still, I wouldn’t trade a minute and I wouldn’t have it any other way
Lordy, don’t the wheels turn slow?
If you have ever built something from the ground up, or had a dream that takes at least a quarterlife to accomplish, you feel those words viscerally. Absolutely nothing worthwhile happens overnight, or by accident. Progress often feels like a long, slow start. I am still far from my own ambition — making my way through its foothills, perhaps — but I feel these words, and I see that I have picked up some speed, or rhythm, along the way. Or at least I know I am under sail.
Funny, how love can make you want to stop time, and ambition can make you want to skip it. Thinking about those twin imperatives today, and reminding myself to sit square in the middle. There is no need to rush!
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A little Sunday shopping poetry…
EVERLANE BARN JACKET // DORSEY EARRINGS // ROTHY’S FLATS // DONNI CARDIGAN // DONNI PANTS // MERCI PARIS HAT // TOTEME BAG // MOTHER SCIENCE SERUM
J. CREW CARDIGAN WORN AS A DRESS (!!!!) — STYLING GETS A 10/10 HERE
My denim barn jacket was just restocked at Everlane! I love her. I took a size down as it looked really big. I’d say take your true size if you want a boxier fit or plan to wear over chunky knits; I wanted something a touch more tailored. // I’m telling you, these earrings make every outfit. I love to pair them with more casual pieces (jeans and a tee!) to pack a punch. // A perfect fall bag. // Mille’s third fall drop is out — this top with the velvet bow trim is so chic, and I feel like this smocked LBD would fill a gap in my wardrobe. (15% off with JEN15). // Love this longline cardigan – on sale, and intrigued by the styling on the site (in khaki and navy colors) as a dress with a belt. // Drawn to this ribbed knit set (sweater here) from Donni. Love its lowkey sexiness. I guess my gray cashmere sweatsuit was a gateway drug. // Cool denim hat no one else you know will have. // Jane Win is offering 20% off sitewide — they rarely run sales; this is a great time to get one of their classic coin necklaces (lots of different motifs available), which also make a great milestone gift for a mother/sister/bestie. (E.g., when your mom becomes a grandmother, when your friend completes a round of chemo, etc.) // Rothy’s sent me a pair of their Mary Janes and I get the hype now. Ridiculously comfortable. // The Goop x CB2 collab! OMG. Love the vases. // I’ve been trying all kinds of products targeting dark spot reduction and I think I’ve finally found something that works. Have you heard about this Mother Science Molecular Serum?! I’ve been using for a few weeks now and I almost can’t believe my eyes. It has this anti-oxidant in it that I’d not heard of before, Malassezin. It really brightens and evens skin — I’m very bullish on this. //
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