Drinking and Thinking

This wining hour, a melancholy mood draws me to the Warren Zevon album The Wind and his version of Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”. The song is accompanied by a 2016 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles.

With our move from North to South last year we missed our summer on the deck which makes this season even more precious. It’s the first day of summer and 92 more glorious days of barbecue, cold brews, and beach bumming promise to follow.

Swirling and sniffing the Justin Cab yields fresh ripe berries and savory herbs, followed by wood, smoke, and a hint of vanilla candy. On the palate are cherry, plum, and graphite. There’s a medium-bodied (for Cab) and lively mouth-feel at play.

I relax in my deck chair, blue sky above with cotton ball clouds. Bird tweets interrupt Zevon’s hoarse intonations, or are they trying to sing along? I close my eyes and I’m riding waves in the ocean. Here comes one and I jump up to meet it feeling buoyed by the motion. I float along the top lulled by the gentle pulling and swaying, up and down, back and forth. I ride one to the shore feeling exhilarated by the motion of my body propelled by the rolling wave and return to the waist-deep water to play again. Is it possible that I’ve achieved a 10 out of 10 on the happiness scale?

When I’m reassured by euphoric wave action and feeling all is right with the world, the unpredictable ocean has a different agenda. Beneath the calm surface where needs for friendship, creativity, and physical comfort are fulfilled lurks an undertow waiting to carry me out into a dark, foreboding sea. Someday I’ll be the one knocking on heaven’s door, figuratively speaking, as so many people I’ve loved have done before me. A dream may die a slow death and amplify the undercurrent to prevent even the happiest (seemingly) among us from reaching a perfect happiness score.

“Back in the High Life” by Steve Winwood is playing as I near the bottom of the glass and relive Justin via a medium to long finish with soft tannins. How apropos finishing my wine and musings with a song about life’s ups and downs.

“We’ll be back in the high life again
All the doors I closed one time will open up again
We’ll be back in the high life again
All the eyes that watched us once will smile and take us in
And we’ll drink and dance with one hand free
And have the world so easily and oh we’ll be a sight to see
Back in the high life again”