What or Where is your happy place?
I’m sitting here listening to the song
“Tim McGraw” by Taylor Swift
As it does every time I hear it, I think of a song
that takes me back to a place that I’ll never forget.
For me, it’s “The Boys Of Summer
It was popular around the time I was a sophomore in high school.
I had the opportunity to spend Christmas break in Sarasota, FL.
with my best friend & his family. We stayed at at his aunt & uncle’s.
Now, I don’t remember much about them,
- but I do remember their daughter 
Donna. (You know, like the song by Richie Valens:
“I had a girl, Donna was her name.
Since she left me, I’ve never been the same…“.
And now that I think about it, “Oh Donna” was
the song I picked the very first time I sang karaoke !
So…
Meanwhile, back in Florida.
It must have been the morning after we arrived
(having driven all the way from Indiana) and
we were just getting ready for the day.
All of a sudden, she walked into the room.
Wayne (AKA my best friend) introduced her to me as his cousin.
She was a junior :]~
Through the day, darting eyes and shy glances
soon turned into long gazes and blushes.
It’s crazy how Life hands you some of your best memories.
One night we were sitting on a park bench at the beach,
just talking and enjoying the chance to be alone for a change.
The moonlight made the white sand look like snow,
the air was sharp with the salt of the sea,
and the breeze was slightly chilly
against the otherwise warm night.
Somewhere during star gazing and a lull in conversation,
our eyes locked. I felt my heart pound fiercely
as neither she or I looked away.
The earth stopped spinning; time stood still.
As if in slow motion, our lips found each other.
Clumsily at first, then more and more instinctively
as our ignited passion took over.
Can I even put into words the feeling ?
How does one describe the kind of kissing
that shuts out the world and arouses every
sense of one’s heart, body, soul and passion ?
Even now – just thinking of it has my pulse racing
and my mind intoxicated. After all – this was my first real kiss !
It was only her curfew that kept us from spending an eternity
together that night. I remember as she drove us back,
we held hands over the center console of her
blue & woodgrain AMC Eagle wagon.
The rest of my vacation was spent doing things
with everyone that should have been “fun”, but
my mind & heart was completely consumed by
thoughts of her. Every opportunity we could
be around each other, we were.
Puppy love…
and I was deep under its spell.
I don’t remember much about leaving
- more than likely it will forever be a mental block for me.
You know how very painful experiences can be.
We wrote one another A LOT, even talked on the phone a
few times. She sent me a picture of herself, and I kept it with me.
She was even going to come up and visit me on spring break !
Puppy love…
As the weeks turned into months, the distance of miles
began to slowly create distance in our hearts.
Spring Break came and went without her,
and somewhere along the way there was
a final tear stained letter that shared what we
had both known by then was to be our future.
It’s been over three hours that I’ve sat here writing this – still
listening to Taylor Swift sing me her own bittersweet memories.
You’ve just let me tell you a part of my Life I’ve never shared.
The most I think I’ve ever told anyone
is that she was my first real kiss.
Of course, that’s all I was going to say to begin with.
My intent was to share how a song
can remind us of good times, happiness, etc…
Tonight I had the opportunity to truly relive
one of the happiest times of my Life; I was there…
My eyes saw hers – and again we did not look away.
I felt her chin in my hand, tasted her sweet lips…
In our embrace we held an eternity of bliss – and it was real.
So if you ever hear me crank the stereo when “The Boys Of Summer
is playing and get that far away look in my eyes
- just smile and know that I am in a very happy place…
What
or where
is yours???
