from raleighwood to hollywood

i wanted to do something a little different today, and as i sat on my bed playing the guitar, a thought popped into my head. here is something you probably didn't know about me: i play my guitar a lot more than people realize. i don't just pick it up at parties or borrow it from the guy playing live music. i spend a little more time, okay a lot more time, playing by myself. however, i didn't always used to play by myself.

at home in north carolina, any time i ever sat down and picked up the guitar, i always had one audience member. for some strange reason, wilbur used to LOVE to listen to me play the guitar. and i don't mean he would just be in the room--he already HAD to be in the room, that's where he lived. i mean that he would actually sit right in front of me as i played and sang my heart out. sometimes he would even attempt to get in my lap.

although some people might shoo a cat away whose tail is about to get caught in their guitar strings, i loved every single moment of wilbur's presence. even when he would walk right in front of where i was playing and mess me up, make me smile, or make me laugh---as you'll see below. of all of the songs i would ever play, there was one in particular he seemed to love the most. i know you're wondering "what did he do, clap at the end?"--obviously that wasn't the case, every time i played this specific song, wilbur would stand as close to me as possible and stay through the entire song. i truly believe that he understood the meaning behind it. the reason i personally loved this song so much was because after going to the concert of the artist, i found out that she wrote it for someone she loved dearly: her dog. this musician is the absolute FAVORITE of my best friend, so being at this concert with her was mostly special because i knew how much she was enjoying it. (sara, i know you're thinking, "i can't believe you know how to play this song and you've never played it for me!")

at the concert, patty griffin stepped up to the microphone and introduced this song:

"sitting on the couch one day, i looked down at my dog and saw that he had fallen asleep in my lap. i couldn't believe how peaceful this moment was, so i reached over, picked up my guitar, and wrote this song."

i don't think i'll ever be able to pick up the guitar and play without thinking about those little ears perked up in front of me. so today, this one is for you wilbur. i know you're listening from up above.