Motorcycle… Minivan

In light of my wedding anniversary being in the month of July, I've decided to devote this month's posts to the subject of marriage, this being the third…

I've never ridden a motorcycle. I don't really like them. They just don't look very safe to me, especially when they whiz by me at 80 miles per hour on the freeway. But there is a certain appeal of a motorcycle-- not of speed, but of freedom. It's the thought of not needing to follow a schedule, not having to carry around a big, bulky diaper bag, not keeping boxes and boxes of homeschool paper work in the garage.

So when I see motorcycles on the road, I take notice. Then I imagine (unrealistically) what life would be like without dishes to wash and taxes to pay. And I imagine what life will be like for me and my husband when the children are grown and gone-- will be downsize to a tiny house? ride Vespas around town? travel in an RV across the United States? On my most days, I can't even imagine the future, and that's because part of me wouldn't trade my life now for any in the world. As tiresome as it is to raise five (almost six) children, this is part of the adventure with my husband. When I said "I do" twelve years ago, I said "I do" to whatever came our way, which included any illnesses, any job changes, and any periods of depression or uncertainty. The "I do" may mean a different occupation five years from now, or a total change of scenery ten years from now, or… well, God only knows.

Here are the lyrics to the second new song I wanted to share with you. This one was not a collaborative project, but I wrote it with my husband in mind. He did give it its title, 'Motorcycle', because the motorcycle represents what our married life is all about-- the thrill of our adventure together.

Sometimes I feel like driving into the sunset

Throwing it all into the sea

I’d let me hair down, you could ditch the suit and tie

Watch papers fly away like birds in the breeze

And we could ride, ride, ride our motorcycle 

Wherever we please

But... most days I’m spinning my plates and juggling children

A three-ring circus in our home

And you’re the tent, and the poles, and the ropes, and the ringmaster,

In charge of our humble abode

And when we pack up and go, we don’t always know

Where we’re headed with our caravan

But we can drive, drive, drive our minivan,

You and me

Either way, I don’t care 

As long as I’m traveling with you

Fast or slow, I want to go 

On this adventure 

Just us two (plus two plus two plus two)

Either way, I don’t care

I want to travel this road with you

Fast or slow, I will follow 

Whichever path, whatever the view

And we can ride, ride, ride our motorcycle

We can drive, drive, drive our minivan

We can go, go, go anywhere 

Me and you