Bubble gum machine done hit the jackpot.
There’s no such thing as can’t.
That was one of my dad’s favorite phrases. He pushed me to be adventurous. To face life without fear. To believe that I can do anything without limitations. That with a strong desire and the resources to go with it, I could make anything happen. As long as it was without emotion. Emotion was the enemy waiting to sabotage goals. He loved all three of us and like a good dad, wanted the best for each of us. But he wasn’t a loving father. He didn’t say “I love you” or hug us. At best he would tell us “ya done good.” But he did make us strong, smart, courageous and enterprising. And for that, I am thankful.
I think he would love that I am taking some time to travel and reinvent myself. He loved road trips. When I was eight, he took me on a trip to Yellowstone National Park to see Old Faithful. We rode in his 1975 station wagon and listened to the Nation’s number one song of the summer, “Rhinestone Cowboy”. I sang it proudly as we drove along the deserted interstate. Glen and I would be superstars together. Harmonizing to the lines:
“On the road to my horizon
But I'm gonna be where the lights are shinin' on me
Like a rhinestone cowboy
Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled ro-d-eo”
I even recorded our car karaoke on my brand new Panasonic cassette tape recorder. Praying that the cassette tape wouldn’t unravel and twist around the heads causing a complete breakdown. What I would give to still have those tapes.
John Denver’s “Country Boy” was the next most played song. John bellowed his anthem out of the AM radio. Next up was the favorite “Convoy”. Dad loved to slip CB jargon into his conversations.
“Ah, breaker one nine, this is rubber duck.
You gotta copy on me, Pig Pen, c’mon”
And he would follow it up with “ya know what I mean, Jillybean?” I had no idea what he meant half of the time, but I loved spending this time with him. On the road together, me singing and him whistling the tune. Watching the world outside our windows blow by as we traveled the endless highway.
His favorite song on that trip was, hands down, “The White Knight” by Cledus Maggard.
“Thought to myself, that can't be true
But there it was, going blue, blue, blue
Uh oh, Bubble gum machine done hit the jackpot.”
Bubble gum machine done hit the jackpot became his go to line for years. He would say it and then crack up looking to make sure we all heard and found it funny. By hearing it for the fiftieth time, we didn’t. But we all added the line to our conversations just to connect with him.
Those songs will make it to my playlist as I head towards the western skies. Remembering the distinct smell of the station wagon and watching for smokies and super troopers. Feeling lucky that I learned my fierce independence from my dad and have the gumption to hit the road and find my passions. And when I land at my destination, I will whisper the words, “bubble gum machine done hit the jackpot.”
