My Afterglow Moment: More Than Just Music
My Afterglow Moment is a series where staff writers and editors share their favorite music-related memories.
Written by Delaney Davis
Photo courtesy of Consequence of Sound
Living with a twin brother with Autism, the majority of my childhood schedule was out of my control. Mondays were for therapist appointments at Baylor Medical, Wednesdays were for doctor’s appointments all the way over in Plano, and Fridays? Meetings with the eating specialist in Dallas. Nowhere near old enough to drive, and with my dad working late into the evening, off I went with my mother and brother, traveling around the sprawling Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
These car rides soon became my least favorite part of the day: My mom’s mini-van’s air conditioning never worked, and I didn’t like sitting in one spot for an entire hour.. To make matters worse, , upon arrival, I was forced to sit for hours on end in various, bland waiting rooms. My least favorite part of the trip, however, was the children’s music my mother used to play for my brother. Already hot and tired, listening to the Veggie Tales serenade me about cheeseburgers was the last thing I wanted to hear.
My dislike soon turned into resentment: toward each new trip, each new highway, each new waiting room, and each new cheesy song.
My immense distaste for these drives grew until my brother, Steel, began taking his DVD player and headphones in the car, leaving my mother free to play whatever she wanted instead of the cheesy children’s music I detested. Now, with each new trip, my mother introduced me to legendary classic rock bands: The Grateful Dead, Fleetwood Mac, and Derek & The Dominoes, among other musical icons
Surprisingly enough, I loved the music my mom played for me, asking her to put it on as soon as I hopped into the car Listening to remnants from my mother’s childhood made me feel more connected to her. Furthermore, having music that I only heard while driving my brother to his appointments made the car trips, and the songs that accompanied them, almost sacred. As my appreciation for these trips grew, my resentment for my family’s situation diminished.
Even though the days of tagging along with my mother and brother are long behind me, classic rock remains my favorite music genre. When I listen to some of my favorites that my mom introduced me to, I’m taken back to my childhood. I remember those times in the car as happy memories, not the unpleasantness erased from the experiences.
Looking back I realize the music I was exposed to was much more than entertainment. My love for the music my mother played taught me to seek the beauty in every situation, no matter how much disdain I harbored in my heart.
This was an important lesson, considering that greater obstacles eventually took the place of daunting car rides across the DFW metroplex as my brother and I grew older. No matter the challenge, however, I was always able to find something positive within seemingly endless negativity.