Wind Swept

Wind is an amazing thing, I think. 

I am a big fan of driving with the windows down, sunroof open, radio blaring and me singing as loudly and proudly as possible.  I feel it exercises my demons and worries, clears the head, provides perspective.  On days when I am blue, a good drive with the wind blowing around me in my Mini is all it takes to make me at least a light shade of pink.

If I were a braver woman, I would probably invest in a motorcycle but the problem with them is once you encapsulate yourself in the required helmet, jacket, gloves and whatever else seems de-rigeur really, what's the point?  You may as well be in a car because at least then you can have your hair blowing freely.

I think my charmed adoration of this ritual stems from two key pieces in the puzzle that is my life...  When I was a little girl my Dad used to take me on drives in the country, just to look at the countryside and enjoy each other's company (although I'm not sure what conversation I would have offered in my tender years).  As time carried on, I would squish myself beside him so I could reach the steering wheel and "drive."  Of course at this point I could actually peek over the dashboard so you can see this tradition lasted quite a few years.  To this day, I find driving an exercise in relaxation (most of the time; rush hour on the QEW is a distinct exception).

Also influencing my love of driving with the windows down is the indelible image of Grace Kelly driving Cary Grant in the convertible in To Catch A Thief... Scarf flowing behind her, her white gloved hands gripping the steering wheel and hair impeccably in place.  A girl can dream...

When I drive with the windows down and sunroof open it is a decidedly different picture... Hair blows wildly, clipped only at the front so I can still see the road ahead of me.  Skirt is carried up and any hope of retaining decorum lost out the window.  And of course there is music, loud enough to make my singing sound perfectly in tune.  I miss these days in the winter and am usually seen driving "in the open" as early in spring and late in fall as my Mini Cooper heater will allow to make up for their absence from my life.

Wind swept is an apt description.  Cares, worries, insecurities, tedium swept away with the dust and cobwebs.  How can you not have a smile?