“Tell me what I gotta do to please you. Baby, anything you say, I’ll do. Cuz I only wanna make you happy. From the bottom of my heart, it’s true! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!”
(These are crucial lines + adlibs from “I Wanna Know”, a ’90s R&B classic sung by Joe. Warning: Don’t even think about singing this song unless you put your whole gut into it.)
…
There’s something freeing about giving private concerts, being the lead singer and not caring about who is in the audience. I’ll sing to my steering wheel, the blue sky, and the innumerable cars changing lanes without blinkers. Singing my favorite songs mellows my road rage and fuels me up in between destinations.
I’ll tell you straight up that I haven’t an ounce of singing talent. I’m confident though that I could kill a karaoke stage. If I felt free enough…
It’s amazing how we can sometimes experience glimpses of what it’s like to be more present and simply happy. Like if someone caught me in those loud serenading moments, I imagine they’d laugh and say,
“You. better. go. in.”
“Get it, Jess.”
“Ooh, this must be your song.”
I cherish my concerts like unexpected checks in the mail. It is a joy to sing my favorite jams during what could otherwise be monotonous drives. To embody freedom with the soundtrack of a perfect playlist. To be and sing with the voice God’s given me.
Roots & Hope 