JD and me - Sunshine on my shoulders

Craig and I don’t necessarily subscribe to the “opposites attract” theory. Attract yes. Stand the test of time - debatable. Sure, finding the yin to your yang brings balance. Having someone challenge you to try new things, venture out of your comfort zone, be a better person is great! But those same differences that help to round us out, teeter on the fine line leading to marital acrimony. We’ve always felt there are particular shared traits, that for us, have made life easier. For example, we both prefer a clutter free environment. You’d never find one of us scolding the other for dirty dishes in the sink or clothes left on the floor (unpacked suitcases a week after returning, perhaps 🙋‍♀️). Neither of us would ever be blindsided by the others spending habits (25-yr-old me could have blindsided him - up to my $300 credit limit that Capital One pity approved). The list of commonalities is pretty lengthy. In general, we are more alike than opposite, and it has served us well. BUT, music predating us (as a couple).......that‘s the unraveling of C & A.

🙅‍♂️🤦‍♀️

We are only 5 years apart in age. In music, may as well be generations. It’s more than just my Milli Vanilli to his Stones, or my Tone-Loc to his The Who, or my Erasure - we may have this in common - Stark Club might have bridged the gap. But we fundamentally grew up listening to different music. There isn’t a 1970’s song along the lines of Denver, Diamond, Rondstadt, Bread, BeeGees, etc. that I wouldn’t know. There is hardly one that he would. He’s The Clash, Ramones, The Who, The Kinks (or Kinx - not even sure of the difference), etc. We do come together on the classics. Zeppelin, Allman Bros, Queen, CCR....I’m folky, he‘s rock. Thank goodness for our similar taste in music since meeting one another. And really it’s a shared love of a dozen or so bands - anything outside that group - still total opposites. There are a lot of requests to “fast forward” during summer pool floats. Lots of negotiating whose list Sonos will play. Lots of contemplating the Spotify playlist and trying to choose it while the other one is still inside. I’m explaining all of this to provide a backdrop of sorts for the title of today’s entry, “JD and me“. John Denver. One of my all time faves. I can sing his songs in my sleep. I could listen to him all day, any day. C does not share my enthusiasm. Not even a little. Not a verse, not a chorus. No throwing me a bone on this one. 🙄

This brings me to our much needed outing from the BMT floor today. It was a gorgeous day in Dallas. Breezy, warm, sunny. We made our way to a bench and sat as close together as we (ok, I) could. It felt so good to just put our heads together, close our eyes, and feel the sun on our faces. And once we were able to shift enough to accommodate his sunglasses not stabbing the side of my head and my hair not getting stuck in the railroad track of head staples, we settled into an awkward balancing act of head weight distribution. And I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. ❤️ (But I would have liked to see the expressions of the handful of passers by). We stayed for about 40 minutes - not in the heads-together position. There were some tears, some laughs, some not thinking about anything, some role-playing of C as a gangster (incognito as a patient) awaiting a trade (?). It was time well spent to refresh and be thankful for the life we share.

So with my heart full, and my love of needling Craig intact, I dedicate this song to him....

Sunshine on My Shoulders John Denver

Sun shine on my shoulders makes me happy Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry (this seems obvious) Sunshine on the water looks so lovely Sunshine almost always makes me high (um, with a little assistance) If I had a day that I could give you I'd give to you the day just like today (in a better setting) If I had a song that I could sing for you (you’ve heard me sing, I won’t do this to you) I'd sing a song to make you feel this way Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry (again, obvious) Sunshine on the water looks so lovely Sunshine almost always makes me high If I had a tale that I could tell you (we did this. gangster. real cloak and dagger) I'd tell a tale sure to make you smile If I had a wish that I could wish for you (we know it ❤️) I'd make a wish for sunshine for all the while Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry Sunshine on the water looks so lovely Sunshine almost all the time makes me high

Love you, Ludes!!!! 😜

Both a little worse for wear, but laughing! 🙌🏼

Gangster role👇🏼