On my way to work, I drive on four freeways. It often occurs to me that if I get distracted at the wrong moment, I could end up going quite a bit out of my way.
I have to be in the right place at the right time, especially when I’m on the 101 headed for the 60. That entrance is such a quick right with little warning that it’s easy to miss. I have missed that exit before, but it’s not such a big deal because if I go further on the 101, I hit the 202 and that will eventually bring me to the 51, which leads me home.
Years ago, before I had kids, I lived about five minutes from my office. A few years after that, my husband and I chose a preschool that was a few minutes from our house and my work. Many days could go by when I would barely leave my neighborhood because everything I needed was right there.
When my oldest son started kindergarten, his school was about 10 minutes from my work and about 20 minutes from his brothers’ preschool. Then his school moved about 10 minutes further away. Bottom line: I was doing a lot more driving and covering much more ground.
It was around this time that I wrote the song “Distracted Driving.”
I was working full-time and my kids were about 8, 6 and 4. I was tired. One day I was deep in thought and passed my exit on the freeway. The following day, I caught myself almost missing my exit again and had the following epiphany. Driving distracted is like living distracted: If you don’t pay attention to where you’re going, you will likely not get to where you want to go.
My Songwriting Journey 