JO EL SONNIER

A singer I enjoy is Jo El Sonnier. He is a Cajun singer that I wish had more songs for me to enjoy. I discovered Zydeco music with the movie "The Big Easy" and became hooked. It reaches a spot in my soul that finds it  pleasing, happy yet with a touch of melancholy and is strangely familiar. Perhaps in another life my toes tapped in the Louisiana mud in time with an accordian??

Often Zydeco is very up beat music that makes the feet want to dance. However, one of my favorite songs of Jo El's is, “Someday I'll Lead the Parade.” Now that is a  really, really sad song and definitely not a toe tapper. One of those songs reserved for funerals or reflection so I will spare you. Below is just a taste of the chorus.

“Some day I will,

Someday I know I will,

Someday I will lead the parade”

This of course implying that you are in the hearse leading the parade of mourners.   Well those chorus lyrics  pretty much came true for me the other day in a very benign way.

I live fairly far from the nearest town so I make my shopping trips count. I normally hate shopping on weekends for two reasons. It is crowded but also I remember my working days when that was the only time I could shop so I try not to get in the way of those people with real jobs. I can wait. But, I was almost out of dog food and Mighty can't wait so I broke my Saturday rule.

As I approached town, I saw cars piled up on the side of the road and blue lights flashing from multiple patrol cars. Aww poop I thought, as I slapped my forehead remembering this Saturday was big doings for the small town.

It was festival time. The tiny town of under 3000 population swells to over 60,000 during festival. We locals go one time out of curiosity, then avoid the mob scene like the plague.

Picture is from my  only festival attempt. It is so packed that you really only see the shirt of the person in front of you.  Not my idea of fun.

I was looking for a way to bypass the town but I was trapped. All the side streets were blocked. Traffic going my way was not being stopped, only those coming the opposite way were being rerouted. The cop waved me through.

The sides of the road were packed with cars and people. The closer to town I got, the cars disappeared and the crowds got larger. I looked at my watch, it was 9:59. Yikes, one minute before parade time.  Behind me, I could hear a band flexing its musical muscles. 

Anxious people leaned out as I approached only to be sorely disappointed when they saw I was pretty ordinary and certainly not a float, clown or band.  I was a bit glad though that I had taken the time to hose the pollen off my little vehicle before I left that morning. I was at least presentable.

I wanted to look for familiar faces but had to concentrate on my driving for people kept dashing across the road for a better site or maybe just exercising their chicken tendencies. For safety reasons, I slowed to about 8 mph.  Since I was literally leading the parade, I decided to have fun. I pasted a big grin on my face and broke out my best parade wave.

Block after block, several startled yet polite folks waved back wondering just who the heck I was. Surely I must be important but they had to wonder where the banner was that would have identified me. They probably wrote me off as a low budget politician.

I had a grand time. Now I have been on floats before in parades but have never been the leader. The cool thing which gave me the giggles as I waved myself down main street was that unlike with Jo El's song, I didn't have to die to lead the parade, just have perfect timing.

It twas a fun day. 

You ever have great timing for an unexpected event?