Northwestern Shoreline

My memory has been playing tricks on me this week, drawing out all of these reminiscing-like observations for the blog. This morning, I awoke with a strange song playing in my head -- Christopher Cross' "Sailing." Now, where did that come from? I haven't heard that song in ages.

Besides being a devotee of Cat Stevens, my father always loved the singer, Christopher Cross. What do both of these singers have in common? They are both singer-songwriters who had huge careers during a particular decade -- Stevens in the 1970s and Cross in the 1980s -- and then fizzled out.

Growing up on an island, my Dad spent a lot of time on boats and so the lyrics of "Sailing" was very relevant to his life. While he is not a yachtsman, I know he misses being near the water and enjoying the freedom of sailing.

Perhaps today I'm longing for that freedom as well, which is why the Christopher Cross song popped into my head this morning. On the commute to work today, as the bus crossed over the Potomac River into the city, I admired the people kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and sailing on the river. Being out on the water would be a great way to start the day.

"Sailing"
by Christopher Cross

It's not far down to paradise
At least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away
And find tranquility
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me

It's not far to never never land
No reason to pretend
And if the wind is right you can find the joy
Of innocence again
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me


Sailing
Takes me away
To where I've always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free


Fantasy
It gets the best of me
When I'm sailing
All caught up in the reverie
Every word is a symphony
Won't you believe me


It's not far back to sanity
At least it's not for me
And when the wind is right you can sail away
And find serenity
The canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see
Believe me.