Love, Drugs, and Country Music

Love, Drugs, and Country Music

Annnnddddd I'm back already!!! I've been trying to writer this post for a while now. I found this picture scrolling through Facebook recently....and I mean, where else am I going to find anything these days? It has become such a "trend" if you will, to be "country". It has become a trend to put on boots, jeans, and a tank top or a plaid shirt. There's so much more to being "country" though. I am not the best person to be lecturing on that particular matter, but what I do want to bring to light is this picture. I want to bring to light the fact that over the course of 60-70 since country music has been brought to the world, it's always at least be true to singing about true love. It's been an outlet for the creative soul to really speak his or her feelings about that special someone. And it has also proven that it's not just a story. It's been backed through every generation with a "power couple" to show that true love can exist and that even when there are hard times, love always finds a way. 

Lets take example number 1: Johnny Cash and June Carter

Let me start by saying I don't really have a favorite couple, and so this list is going to go in chronological order. Johnny and June are also a very good way for me to start this list because they have such a powerful story. If anyone has seen "Walk The Line" then you know how the story goes for the most part. The things I want to focus on though, are the things that make this story great though. Mainly: Johnny Cash and his many addictions and June's ability to see through those and still love the man behind them. There is a scene in "Walk The Line" where Johnny tells June "you're an angel". At this point, Johnny had been detoxing with the help of June and her parents. I don't remember the exact wording but June explains to Johnny that they're friends and that June wants to see her friend get better and that she knew how good of a man Johnny was. Now, this wasn't the first time she had to watch John go through this process, but she was there for him every time. Sometimes she had to be a little hard on him, but I really believe that every long lasting relationship needs that. Two people who are in love need to be able to give the tough love when necessary and they need to be able to see through each others flaws to know the good behind it all. I say that because I know I'm imperfect. I know I am FULL of flaws. There are times I don't know how I managed to get my fiance to agree to marry me, but I see this movie and I see how much June cares for John, Then I'm able to look at the woman I will soon call my wife and I see that same love. I know that I have these flaws, but I know that after everything her and I have been through, she knows my heart, she knows my character, and she knows that the only thing in the world I want is to love her and our little boy to the best of my ability. 

That brings me to couple number 2: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill

Now I probably won't be able to spend much time on these two, mainly because they have done a really good job of keeping their love life out of public sight...But that's where the beauty in this one is. Something I have realized lately, is that I spend a lot less time on social media. I put most of my energy in to work and in to being able to be around for my fiance and our son. I don't care about who is having lunch at Chipotle or who is going bowling or who is drinking beers with who...now I would be lying if I said I didn't still get on and post a status, but I am far less interested about what's going on on Facebook and twitter these days, but that's because my interest lies with my family. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have made very much that same choice. Sure Tim still tours like a mad man every summer and he finds time to work out like crazy, but he also ensure that he find time to be with his 3 daughters and his wife. Faith Hill is easily one of the greatest female voices of our time. I am personally not a fan of her music, but I would be a fool to say she isn't an incredible vocalist. I just can't relate to her solo music. I will say though, every time I find out her and Tim are releasing another song together I get about as excited as a kid on Christmas. Tim McGraw has been very public about his sobriety and the struggles he had with alcoholism. Obviously, I have never seen any of Tim's problems manifest themselves first hand, but he states himself that he was becoming a problem, and that takes a real man. Faith could've walked away. Lord knows money wouldn't have been a problem. But once you find real love, you don't want to let that go. I really believe that's what keeps them going. They know what they have and they don't ever want to lose it. They have a storybook love life and they have set an example that I think everyone should follow. 

Now....Number 3: Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert

These two are just fun. Lets look at what we've got here...Johnny and June have the battered past that lead to a beautiful future. Then there is Tim and Faith who life just brought together and they managed to build something beautiful outside the world of country music while still existing in it, and there are these two. Blake and Miranda are the epitome of fun. They have endured so ,many blistering rumors about how bad their marriage is, and they still seem to come out of it with a smile. Now someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure these two were friends long before they became an item. These two truly are two best friends who fell in love and they show that in public all the time. I know at one point Miranda had tweeted Blake and said [insert magazine name here] reported that our marriage is struggling!" Blake's response was nothing more than you would expect..."I can't wait to read and see if we make it!" They clearly know how to handle the pressure and they obviously aren't afraid to have fun with it! I have no doubt that they have their problems. What marriage or relationship doesn't? What I love though is that they always come out on the other side. 

I don't think it would surprise any of you that I write more posts when I am going through something in my personal life that I need to work out. Most of the time, the problems that I'm having are me just over thinking a situation. That's something I have a bad habit of doing. Something I am learning very quickly, and gladly so, is that I have a woman in my life that has agreed to stand by me through every up and every down we ever need to face. She has agreed to support me and to love me and to be my saving grace when the rest of the world will seem against me. I have a woman who will be faithful through the good times and the bad. Ironically enough, our first dance at our wedding is going to be "God Gave Me You" by Blake Shelton. I wake up every single day knowing just how lucky I am to have her in my life because truth be told, she is "loves great martyr, and [I'm] the flattered fool," I wake up every single morning knowing that God has blessed me with a woman unlike any other. I see her and I see perfection. I see through the flaws (with her they are pretty hard to see to begin with) but I see the flaws and know that those flaws and I see my own and I know that we were meant to be together. Even physically, no hand has ever fit so perfectly in mine and no other hand ever will. When I hold her at night, I know that no other person will fit so perfectly next to me the way she does. When I met her ten years ago, I had no idea where we would end up, but as time went on, I definitely knew where I wanted us to go. And luckily for me, there was a country song for every single situation we found ourselves in along the way.

So today, I am thankful for my soul mate, I am thankful for her patience. I am thankful for her understanding. I am thankful for her willingness to love my imperfections. I am thankful for her. A song I heard recently said "Have you ever done drugs? It's like love. Have you ever done love? It's like a drug." Those words really are true. Her love is my drug, as cliche as that may be. I couldn't live a day without her in my life. and I will spend every day for the rest of my life bettering myself to make sure I am every bit the man she needs to be. I firmly believe that there's someone out there for everyone. If you haven't found that someone for you, keep looking. Love always finds a way.