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Driving With the Windows Open

posted on July 13, 2012

My dad was born to be a blogger. He writes up his perspective on things and e-mails them to me from time to time and they are always heart felt and touching.

Recently he was pondering about how few people drive with the window open any more. There was a time when AC in a car was a luxury and most people during the hot summer would be seen with the windows down, arm out and tunes playing.

Now, you see nothing but windows up and everyone isolated from everyone else on the road. It got me thinking.

The world we live in now allows us to interact and connect with people without ever opening the windows.

I can sit here and type these words and somewhere you can sit and read them. Throughout this we have no chance of physically interacting with each other.

I’m a big advocate for the “beer and coffee” approach to life, which besides being a great album from Matthew Ebel, is really about making sure you sit down and truly interact with other people beyond the screens in your life. That you open the window and enjoy the company of other people face-to-face and away from all the confines of our social networks.

Every time I read a travel post on We Blog the World, Legal Nomads or any of the other travel sites I love they fill me with a new appreciation of the location they are covering. But, just like driving down the road with the windows up, I can only appreciate it so much until I actually travel there myself and take it all in.

Lately, I’ve been driving around with the window down a lot more. The hot summer air feels great and their is always a liberating feeling as you get on the highway and crank up the tunes. The kids found it weird the first time we did this, but have since embraced it.

I caught myself playing Superman with my hand out the window the other night. I haven’t done that in years. Of course I hadn’t, because the windows are always up.

So much life is going on around us every day. Stop and think about how if the window or walls are up, how are you ever going to experience it all?

And am I the only one that finds it weird there is no longer any hand signal for put down your window? The old fashion rolling signal doesn’t work any more. :)

Have a great weekend!

 

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Categories: Rambles
  • http://twitter.com/SteveCoulson Steve Coulson

    My dad lives in England, so it’s not a hot there, but Summer can still get into high 80s. He told me he has NEVER turned on the AC in his car, doesn’t even know if it works. His reasoning? When you have th AC on, the car uses more gas that he doesn’t want to pay for.

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      Aren’t dads the greatest? Their logic is usually super simple and yet dead on the money.

      • PurpleCar

        LOL “on the money!” ain’t THAT the truth!

  • http://raulcolon.net/ Raul Colon

    Living in the tropics for most of my life I was spoiled into making sure My car had an A/C! When I went to work in New York city I realized for most of the year I had to keep my windows up! The fact that I like being in touch with nature I promised myself that when I returned to the Island I would buy myself a convertible which I did!

    When I look back it was more about feeling the wind and like you said that direct interaction with the enviroment around you!

    I no longer have the convertible but when I get the chance I roll down the windows it brings me great memories of spending my summers with my grandp as a kid in the back of his Chevrolet Nova!

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      Love the story. Thank for sharing buddy.

      • http://raulcolon.net/ Raul Colon

        Scared to read what I typed. LOL I was on my iPhone with my daughter on my lap! LOL

  • http://twitter.com/ringo66 Joseph Kalinowski

    You have to love when inspiration comes from the “Old Man.” I know my Dad is a great source!

    I think that social networking and the new era of “ultra-connectivity” have also pushed some folks into “hyper-isolationism.” With that, I think many of us lose appreciation for the smaller and simpler joys in life.

    Roll those windows down. Proudly belt out “Rock and Roll All Nite” with the radio cranked loudly. Stop and smell the roses every now again. It makes all the difference.

    Thanks for the great post CC!

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      I wondered if this post might spark some “this is my favorite summer cruising song” moments and I’m glad to see that it did with you.

      Yes, dads are GREAT for inspiration. Hope my kids say something similar some day.

  • http://www.ChristopherSPenn.com Christopher S. Penn

    I don’t mind rolling down the windows if there aren’t many other cars around, but most of the time these days, all I get are fumes. Oh, and the hand signal for rolling down the window now? Either it’s the gesture that looks like every other “push the button” gesture, or it’s the gesture that’s identical to “check to see if your pants are zipped”.

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      :)

  • Philip Crampe

    I bought a Jeep Wrangler (4 door) for just this reason. I want the roof off the doors off. The whole family doing the Superman!

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      I’ve always loved the look of jeeps for this exact reason. Several friends have them. Part of me has always thought it would be fun to have an old beat up one just for sunny summer days of adventure.

  • Lindsay Bell

    I love this CC. My family goes crazy with me always saying “turn the A/C off!!” – lol – even in the house (when it’s not 40 degrees out). I just don’t like the feel and smell of A/C. First thing I do when I hop in the car is put the windows down. But I hadn’t really thought about just how many people spend their entire days “closed off” from the outside world. Tell your dad thanks, he made me stop and think this morning! Cheers, LB

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      I’m the same way. I only turn on the AC if it is REALLY hot out and in the car, if I’m not on the highway the windows are usually down.

      Glad to know I’m not alone in this.

  • http://chelpixie.com/ Chel Wolverton

    The same applies to people stuck in their phones, listening to music, reading books on devices, watching videos, etc.

    I wonder what trains were like before all these things existed/became commonplace.

    When did we get so uncomfortable with interacting with each other as human beings that we decided to isolate ourselves in various ways?

    Are we afraid of what might happen if we, you know, actually smile or talk with someone that we don’t know?

    Ironically, we do it every day online…

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      Exactly, the window is just a metaphor for SO many more things which is what I was trying to get at. Glad you agree!

  • Denise

    I love this post 😊it reminded me of the days I would drive with the windows down when I started driving and well into my 20′s feeling so free. I wonder why we start closing ourselves off as we get older?

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      EXACTLY what I was getting at. I also think it is a generational thing because kids today still have the window up.

      It is an interesting conversation and if nothing else I hope this leads to more people cruising with the windows down!

  • PurpleCar

    I’m glad you blogged this. I was not understanding what you were saying on Twitter the other day. Now I get it. Thanks.

  • http://twitter.com/SJCWebDesignLLC Lawrence Snow

    Great post CC. Got me to thinking of all those days as a kid in the back seat of my grandmother’s Oldsmobile experiencing the world – sights and smells – through the open window.

    • http://www.cc-chapman.com/ C.C. Chapman

      Those are some of the most crazy, yet awesome memories right?

  • http://twitter.com/ginarau ginarau

    Great post and reminds me how my friends and I would drive with the windows down at the beach just to enhance the experience.

    It’s super easy to sit behind the screen too much and think we’re connecting but we’re really not until we look at each other, face to face, and break bread. I love looking at my calendar and seeing those special coffee, lunch and happy hour dates sprinkled throughout my week. For me, it means that something magical is likely to happen.

  • http://www.stevenwb.com swbuehler

    Until recently I either rode a scooter or drove a car with a busted A/C, so riding/driving with the windows down (or with the wind whipping around me) was required. It’s a wholly different perspective on what’s out there. Thanks for the inspiration.