One of my most requested songs is what audiences call The Windshield Wiper Song. The real title is Those Words We Said, written by one of my favorite songwriters, Kim Richey. I recorded it years ago with 3rd Time Lucky, a trio made up of Mickey, our drummer friend Gary, and me. People always remember one line: “Me and one good wiper blade up against the rain.”
It’s such a great line. Who hasn’t been there? I was just there on Friday night as I drove on I-70 in a rental car, loaded to the gills, with Dennis stretched out on a stack of pillows over guitars, clothes, and miscellaneous items we didn’t want to leave behind. My husband slept soundly next to me in the reclined passenger seat.
I can still pull an all-nighter behind the wheel when I have to. I don’t want to anymore. Getting eight hours of sleep is a priority these days, which means hitting the sack by nine p.m. at the latest. No more late-night gigs.
But what surprised me most wasn’t the storm or the lack of sleep. It was remembering that I had exactly what I needed.
I never thought to inspect the windshield wiper blades—or the wiper fluid—when we picked up the rental car. I didn’t think about either one until the GPS warned of a tornado watch and the first drops hit the windshield.
I turned on the wipers, and worn-out pieces of rubber flapped back and forth across the windshield. Did I mention it was 3:30 a.m.? When I pushed the knob to add a little wiper fluid, there wasn’t any.
As with everything, storms pass. Driving through them makes them pass a little faster.
Funny how often life works that way. We spend so much time wishing for perfect conditions or for things to be different, when what we already have is enough. One good windshield wiper. One cup of rest stop coffee. One good night’s sleep after a long drive. We already have what we need for the next mile.
Last night I slept eleven hours with no problem. Dennis did too. Apparently, he wasn’t sleeping as soundly as his upward-facing feet suggested. He must have had one eye open the whole time so he wouldn’t miss a chance to stretch his legs—or worse, get left behind at a rest stop.
I used to think catching up on sleep was like looking for the end of a rainbow, but as it turns out, there really is such a thing.
We even left our van more than a thousand miles away for a new transmission. But I know it’s in excellent hands and exactly where it needs to be.
As I drove along Interstate 70, life reminded me that what I need is most often what I already have.
Sometimes it shows up as one good windshield wiper.
Sometimes that’s enough.
You can hear our version of Those Words We Said below
Or listen on YouTube: Those Words We Said