The Oak Tree Stands Alone

My iPod goes with me where ever I go. At work it helps me get through the day of processing paperwork, drowning out other peoples phone calls, and keeps the day up beat. At home it wakes me up in the morning, it creates an atomosphere fun to cook in, and is blasted loudly to dance and sing with, at the top of my lungs. But the greatest use of my ipod here in France is listening to my tunes on the metro.

To get to the center of Paris usually takes about 30 minutes. Listening to my iPod is the perfect solution for passing this time. I love all of my music. I have music that can make me dance in my seat, music that relaxes me, or music that makes me get lost in the moment. My iPod is always set on shuffle to keep a variety flowing throughout the day. So when I was listening to my music the other day while traveling from my dance class to the Champs Elysees and a familiar friendly voice came through my ear buds- I was greatly comforted to what the random shuffle brought to me as a surprise. It was the lyrics and voice of my friend Scott.

Scott is currently pursuing his dream and moved across the country to be a folk musician. At the sound of the first note played of, “Summer time dreams,” a smile immediately spread across my face and warmth filled my soul. I miss hearing Scott play Scott’s music. Listening to Scott that day took me back to another place and time.

Scott’s music is so much more than the beautiful songs he sings. Scott’s music is filled with many memories and simple comforts that goes along with each tune he sings. After hearing the first melody I decided to switch from shuffle and listen to all of Scott’s songs on my iPod. As I continued to listen with a smile spread across my face, I was taken back to many days of sitting in the Stewart lobby with my best friends as Scott nonchalantly strummed his guitar as a peaceful background sound.

As I was nearing my exit Scott’s “Oak Tree” song came on and I slowly began to touch the face of my iPod to be taken back to the place where this song has so often been sung. I could hear all of us begging Scott to play the song just one more time, and that each time during the middle pause of the song our friend Tony getting excited for the burst of rejuvenation that would come in the next cord of the song. This time rather than a burst of joyful shouting a small tear of joy came to my eye for the special memory was shared with me on the metro that day.

Through Scott’s lyrics and melodies I was taken back to a place that felt like home. Where my friends were near and everything was still the same. For the brief moment I was not sitting on the metro but I was once again with my friends hanging out in our old lobby passing the time of the day with nothing more to do than to be with one another.