“Where We Belong”—Family Road Trip Song

We had rented a cabin in Lake Tahoe for a family weekend in the snow. After a long week of work and school, the blue Ford truck was packed with our bags, sleds and little kids. As soon as we hit the road, the traffic piled up and my husband grunted and cursed at the slow crawl. The “we’re going on vacation!” mood in the truck deflated as we inched along. I tried to keep things light with treats and tunes, but it was not easy since a drive that normally takes three to four hours ended up taking us a white-knuckled nine hours in a snowstorm. We persevered, found alternate routes and arrived at our cabin long after midnight.

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The next day, I had some time to myself while the kids and my love were playing in the snow. I mulled over our road trip – the emotions released, the tense extra five hours, the “are we there yet’s?”—and surprisingly my heart warmed. I pulled out my guitar and began fingerpicking a tune and singing lyrics to capture the family road trip. As the song took shape, I realized that it didn’t matter where we were (stuck in gnarly traffic or on the slopes)—only that we were together--where we belonged. 

Have a listen:

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*I recorded this song 12 years after I wrote it, with my now grown daughter singing background vocals. I hope it stirs memories of your own family road trips…

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Writing Prompt

Make a list of memorable road trips from each decade of your life. Pick one and free write for 15 minutes…see where your unedited words take you…

(You might try writing from different perspectives, your younger self, another passenger, the vehicle’s point of view about the scene).