Some of the most happy moments of my life
have occurred in the passenger’s seat of a car.
They’ve happened in different cars
during a variety of times of day
with a few different people
over the span of the past few years.
Aside from my position in the car these moments have a mix of other things in common: someone I love in the driver’s seat
windows down
feet on the dash
loud music
Coffee
Moonlight
the occasional cigar.
It doesn’t happen often, but often enough that I’ve noticed it.
I’m not sure what it really is that makes me so happy
because of the varying conditions.
But the feeling is so strong
that I recognize it when it occurs.
It’s always silent when the first lift of my heart alerts me that “It’s Back.”
I say silent however normally there’s music playing loudly through the car speakers
or wind whipping through the open windows.
But there’s a silence between the driver and I.
This silence is filled with so many emotions
it’s hard for me to know where to start.
There’s excitement,
a little exhaustion,
and contentment.
You know the term “their heart swells with emotion?”
I’d be sitting there,
in someone’s car
and my heart would start wanting to rise out of my chest
as if it was a balloon
I wish that I could grab a hold of that balloon and never let it sink back to the earth,
but eventually the moment passes.
The song switches,
a cigar burns out,
a red light blocks our path.
Out of all the different things that make me Happy in these moments,
I know it’s that person sitting beside me driving the car.
Their company is what made me excited,
their personality allowed for an adventure that made me
a little exhausted,
and riding in a car to or from such an Adventurous Trip made me
content.
And those moments where I was happy were because I realized,
in some shape or form, that I knew I was in love.