Before leaving Canmore this morning I stopped in for a fill-up before hitting the road. Just as I was finishing up a gentleman pulled into the station and walked over to me. He said he saw my RV and pulled in to check it out, adding that he had a good friend who is a florist whose favourite flower is the daisy. We chatted for a few minutes, exchanging names and cross-country driving stories before parting ways. Nothing like sharing some daisy love to get your day off to a good start.

So I hit the highway and popped in one of my new cassette tapes, “The Doobie Brothers Greatest Hits”. Yes, I said cassette tapes. Remember those? Miss Daisy is a 1989 vintage and I am still enjoying the original sound system and equipment (but getting no use out of the cigarette lighter I might add).

Wild daisies just outside of Lake Louise

So I was rocking down the Trans Canada highway en route to Lake Louise, tunes blaring a wee bit, when a car pulled up next to me and threw me the peace sign. I peaced him back ,of course, and he continued on his way. Now I must admit that I wasn’t 100% sure whether he was lovin’ my daisies or could hear my Doobie tunes blaring. And hopefully the scent of the incense I have on board of Miss Daisy doesn’t waft through the air, giving drivers-by the impression I smoke alternative substances. I do like Doobies but only of the musical kind, as in “Doobie Brothers”.

As I continued on my way, my favourite tune “Listen to the Music” came on. It’s one of my favourite songs of all time. I love the melody, lyrics and soulfulness of it.

As I bopped to the song, I glanced into my rear view mirror to see a car driving alongside me, with the passenger taking photos of the side of Miss Daisy. The car then dropped back at bit and took a pic of Miss Daisy’s rear end. Not to worry, Miss Daisy is one gal who’s not afraid to flaunt her backside. They then sped up, waved as they passed by and continued on their way.

Today seemed to have been a day for daisy lovers. Or for people who are following their heart. Or both.

As I continued on my way, I pondered the lyrics to “Listen to the Music”, which begin:

Don’t you feel it growin, day by day
People gettin’ ready for the news
Some are happy, some are sad
Oh, we got to let the music play
What the people need
Is a way to make ‘em smile
It ain’t so hard to do if you know how
Gotta get a message
Get it on through
Oh now mama, don’t you ask me why

It’s so true, so simple, so basic and so human. With so much going on in the world and in our lives, sometimes “what the people need is a way to make ‘em smile”. That’s it. Just a way to make ‘em smile. Whether it’s a giant Daisymobile driving by or something else. We all just need that small moment of joy that ripples into our heart…..”let the music play….”….

I received an email the other morning, while in Calgary, from a woman who’d seen me driving around town during the rush hour. She emailed me to say that she’d passed Miss Daisy on the way in to work that day and that seeing the daisies had just made her smile and laugh, giving her a nice perk to the start of her day.

Well, I have to tell you something. That all these incidents also changed my day. They made me flash a smile and warmed my heart too. It works wonders both ways.

So simple. Yet often so overlooked. Give someone a reason to smile and it can change their day. And yours in return. Maybe we can’t all change the world in a big-scale, Mother Theresa kind of way, but we can change our part of the world. Just find a way to make ‘em smile. And listen to the music…….

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