Many of my posts lately have been very heavy, having to do with stress and mental health, as April and May are Stress Awareness and Mental Health Awareness months respectively. So, this week I decided to make a more lighthearted post that commemorates an event that happened a year ago this week.
Last year at this time, my best friend and I headed to Nashville for CMA (Country Music Association) fest. This is one of country music, and Nashville’s biggest events, and it did not disappoint. Although there are concerts and music stages set up all over the city, the highlight of the event are the concerts that take place each night for four nights in a row featuring various country artists who take the stage for a 20–40-minute set. In those four nights, we saw so many acts and I was blown away by the talent of these performers. Keith Urban, Jelly Roll, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Luke Bryan…the list goes on and on. Although I am not the biggest country fan, as I am drawn more to heavy alternative rock and classic rock, I had such a great time listening to these artists perform, and of course people watching at these events is always very entertaining.
I really do like the new sounds coming out of Nashville these days. They’re much lighter than the country music of the past, where the singer lost his job, and his wife, and his dog. Many people enjoy the music, but I really love the lyrics, which are really just poetry set to song. Johnny Cash’s “Ragged Old Flag” is really just spoken word, but the words and they way he speaks them in the song are so powerful.
While we were in Nashville for this event, we saw so many people in cowboy boots of various types. They were on everyone’s feet. But my friend and I both made a rookie mistake. On night one of the concerts, we both wore brand new cowboy boots and broke them in as we were walking to Nissan Stadium. We were parked at least a mile away, and then the walk into the stadium is long and of course our seats were far and way up in the stands. By the time we were almost to our seats my feet were torn up. But I am a trooper and didn’t complain because, hey, I looked really cute in my jeans and boots. When we left several hours later to walk back to our car, we took a wrong turn and that added extra distance to our already long walk back. And by this time, in those new boots, the walk felt like it was five miles. When we got to the car, we both flung off those boots, and for the remaining three nights we wore comfortable flats. We didn’t look as stylish as the other ladies strutting around in their boots, but we enjoyed the shows much more knowing our feet were happy and that we wouldn’t dread that long walk back to the car.
When I looked around at all the men at this event, I was reminded of this poem, as most of them really did look great in their jeans and boots. Recently I went to a wedding and all of the men looked so handsome in their suits and vests, but a man in a nice fitting pair of jeans and boots is definitely an attraction.
Unlike the person in this poem, I would never advise anyone else on how to dress, what kind of car to drive, etc. I have had men that I dated in the past do that to me. They would say “You know, you would look better if …,” or “Have you ever thought about doing …,” fill in the blank. It could be growing my hair longer or cutting it shorter, wearing different clothes, and so on. I’ve even had men comment on my perfume. I used to love wearing White Shoulders back in the ’90s. Evidently the men I dated loved it too, telling me that I smelled so good, I reminded them of their grandmother. After the third man told me that, I finally got the hint and in the trash it went.
Truth be told, I really am a T-shirt and jeans kind of gal, so it is no surprise that I would be drawn to the same kind of man. And those cowboy boots do drive me a little crazy!
Cowboy Boots and Blue Jeans
I love a man dressed in a suit,
He always looks so fine.
I won’t say no to surf and turf,
That surely sounds divine!
But you can keep your fancy suit
And your fancy wheels.
I sure don’t need Armani
To give me all the feels.
You can show up in a Porsche
But I prefer a Jeep,
Or a rugged, muddy pickup truck
If you want my heart to keep.
You can don your skinny jeans;
I guess that is a start.
But cowboy boots and blue jeans
Are the ways to win my heart.
If you show up on a Harley
You’ll really make me swoon.
Throw on a faded flannel shirt
And I just might hit the moon.
Put on some Metallica
And my heart belongs to you,
Especially in those cowboy boots
And those jeans of blue.
The fancy things, they don’t impress
So don’t even waste my time.
I’m happy with an ice cold beer,
But I do enjoy my wine!
I’m really just a simple girl
I don’t require much.
For me, I find more value
In your words and in your touch.
So treat me right and with respect
And I’ll be good to you.
But it wouldn’t hurt to throw on those boots
And those jeans of blue.
-K.A. Bloch-
