High Tides and Low Tides (Part II)

A quick announcement before today’s post: last month I conducted a review and giveaway of Orgain nutritional shakes, which provide the calories and nutrients of a full meal replacement while somehow managing to be completely delicious. I could only pick three winners back then, but everyone has another chance to win a stash of freebies this spring. Every week from now through April 1, Orgain is giving away a month’s supply (three cases) of its organic shakes to one lucky winner through its Facebook page. So head over there and “like” them or whatever else you have to do to enter, and good luck!

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As for today … normally this weekend slot is where I put a Random Shot of Beauty – but since I have a brief follow-up story to an earlier post this week, I’m changing the script a bit and doing a Random Song of Beauty instead.

In this Valentine’s Day post I described how Bob Marley music has been part of the soundtrack of my love affair with my wife over more than 20 years, starting with a poster hanging in my dorm room. I embedded his song “High Tide or Low Tide”, and almost immediately afterward a few people asked if I knew of the Jack Johnson and Ben Harper remake. Not only am I aware of that version, but I’m nervous that it represents a bit of ironic foreshadowing in the life of one of my kids.

If there’s one musician who is more overwhelmingly beloved in our family than Bob Marley, it's Jack Johnson. We listen to his albums repeatedly throughout the course of any given day, and the kids fall to sleep to the sound of his voice by night. It’s quite likely that any member of our family can sing any one of his tunes by heart – which, considering the extent of his repertoire, is no small feat.

Photo from jackjohnsonmusic.com

Of all the members in our family fan club, none is more enamored than my 9-year-old daughter. She and I have had many conversations – oftentimes while running together - about the joy of his music, the beauty of his lyrics, and how listening to his songs can simply overwhelm us with positive feelings. It’s no exaggeration to suggest that we’ve bonded over his music, and that it has served as the glue in our relationship on more than one occasion.

So here’s what this story has to do with the previous one: when I first saw the Jack Johnson cover of Bob Marley’s song, I had this strange feeling of a kind of torch being passed. In a not-too-distant place and time, I have visions of my daughter walking into the dorm room of some introverted college knucklehead, seeing a poster of Jack Johnson on the wall, and becoming completely smitten with the kid. And maybe that will lead to something more serious, until one day I realize that she’d rather sing Jack Johnson songs with somebody else besides me.

I know from experience that such things can happen - but when that day eventually comes, I’m not entirely sure that my heart will be able to take it. Until then, all I can do is enjoy the music with her while there’s still time.

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Jack Johnson and Ben Harper, "High Tide or Low Tide" (click to play):

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