Country Musings

I'm cut out to be a country, western girl. Granted, I've never lived on a ranch or farm, and my closest neighbors have always lived within a few yards. I swear if I had to catch a chicken with my bare hands - let alone prepare it for personal consumption - I would be an instant vegetarian.

But last night, as I was watching the country music festival in Nashville, Tennessee, I got to thinking, "I identify with these people." I mean, when do you get to see a bunch of celebrities appear at a gala event in their blue jeans, t-shirts and baseball caps? Martina McBride was sporting some bling with her bracelets, and her jeans. How can you not love the fact that thousands of people attended to see these superstars – and the guests of honor showed up in their nicest pair of jeans?

Then I started thinking about how the blue jeans and baseball caps capture the essence of country music--their lyrics speak of everyday life and ordinary things. Take Brad Paisley's song, "I'm so much cooler online" for example. The country world feels free to mock us in our shortcomings, but considers themselves a part of the group, too. Because what is truer to telling the American story than getting down to the nitty gritty, while remaining loyal to the people you sing about in the process?

We hear enough from celebrities and reformers speaking and singing out against our nation. But how much do I love patriots singing about the blessings of this land and the people in its service? More than country words can say. I mean, the Dixie Chicks weren't the only ones to speak out against President Bush while on foreign ground---but they were instantly cast out. Let's face it, they're in the wrong crowd for that kind of unpatriotic act.

So I guess for me the blue jeans and patriotism go hand in hand. They denote a lack of pretentiousness, a "this is me – take it or leave it" or a "this is the country I love--take it or leave it" approach. I love it, and I love the fact that if I were truly country-fied, I wouldn't care if I got two looks for cutting my kids' hair out in the front yard or letting them run wild in their underwear, or for showing my boy the proper way to potty outside--I mean, isn't that what trees are for? Now all I need is a cowboy hat.