Wagon Wheel, Penny Whistle, and Two Scottish Ciders.

Wagon Wheel, Penny Whistle, and Two Scottish Ciders. 

John Paul Derryberry

With its stunning views of the waters that led to the ocean, an adorable highlander cow, and the Scottish islands we were about to take in the following days teasing us, Loch Melfort couldn't find a way to make this moment any better. Yet there I was, polishing off the last bit of my chocolate brownie and ice cream topped with passion fruit for dessert, when the strings of the fiddle started strumming. My ears perked up at the thought of heading to that room, and I knew at least another round of Scottish ciders was in our future. 

Anne and I walked into the bar to find ten musicians, who were singing an old Scottish folk song, lining the front part of the room, and about 25 other people crowded into the tiny space to listen. Anne and I made it a tight 27 and, with drinks in hand, made our way to the smallest two-seater couch I have ever shared. I knew not a word the group sang through the first few tunes, yet I can recognize joy anywhere. As each member sang their number, a young woman from the crowd eventually stood up and belted out an old folk song. It was out of a movie; yet, it was my life. 

And then our guide, David, pulled out a penny whistle. He played so smoothly with the group that they started looking around for who had brought the penny whistle to the party. Next, they let our guide lead a song on the penny whistle. I still had not heard a song I knew, yet it was one of the best nights of music ever. I drank my cider and soaked it all in. You have to. Sometimes, you have a life moment that grabs you and forces you to be in the moment. This was that moment, even if you don't know what is 100% going on. Often, we get uncomfortable in these moments, out of fear we will make ourselves look dumb; yet there is something empowering about sitting in the unknown and finding our way to joy. 

I thought the night had reached its crescendo, with our guide showing off penny-whistle skills that I did not know existed in this world, when a familiar tune started. An unfinished song recorded by Bob Dylan around 1973, with the chorus of Rock Me Mama, and then later finished by Old Crow Medicine Show, with roots of the folk song going back to 1928; "Wagon Wheel" started to play. The night took another swerve, as this song, I could sing along. A little slice of comfort and home flowed through the Melfort bar. Anne and I have seen the Old Crow Medicine Show live and at that live concert, I realized I would spend a decent chunk of my life with Anne. 

For the last 12 years, we have. We are still determining the future; we cannot be sure what it holds. Many of us try hard to solve that equation and forget the beautiful moments that occur along the way. But on certain nights, the universe aligns and reminds us that lot of life can be connected through moments. From Nashville, Tennesse, in Rynam auditorium 12 years earlier and two different people, there is a through line to Loch Melfort Hotel in Scotland. Countless moments and stories connect those two moments and the two people attempting to live harmoniously through life. 

The music stopped a little after 11:00 pm; they ran long. It was glorious, just an extra 15 minutes of pure bliss. Anne and I fall into more moments like that the longer we work at meshing our lives together. That's what happens when you combine the right amount of hard work with luck and good communication, and it doesn't hurt that I'm always searching for a good story to tell. A night of mostly knowing zero words ended with a reminder of how great it can be to find space in an unknown world and also stumble into a little piece of home along the way.