Kim's Life as a Migrainer: Short Ride in a Fast Machine

Fun fact: Short Ride in a Fast Machine was published by John Adams in 1986 and is believed to be performed somewhere in the world once a day.

The other day I was having a particularly hard morning when on my way to work the score "Short Ride in a Fast Machine" by John Adams came on the radio. I love to listen to classical music on the way to work as I like the soft notes and tones and it helps to calm me. This score instantly transported me to a happy time in my life.

When my husband Marc turned 40, I surprised him with a trip to Las Vegas to go on the Richard Petty Experience. For those of you who do not know who Richard Petty is, he is a famous NASCAR racer. The Richard Petty Experience is where you can drive an authentic NASCAR racing car around one of the nations premiere speedways or you can do a ride along. I chose the the King's experience at the Las Vegas speedway which had all the bells and whistles including a ride along. Marc decided that he wanted me to enjoy some of the experience so he gave me the ride along portion of it. Well it was the most exhilarating experience of my life. The car I was going for the ride in was the number 29 Reese's Pieces Car. Getting in the car was interesting as the doors do not open so I had to "Bo and Luke Duke" it and get in through the window. The track is intimidating as you do not realize how steep the banks are until you see them in person. It is only a 20 degree bank but look like 90 degrees. When I got in the car they harnessed me in with more straps and buckles that make it so I could hardly move. The driver, I forget his name, started the car I could not get over how loud the car was. We started around that track at a nice pace at first but then he revved the engine and away we went. We reached a speed of about 140 mph which for us Canadians is about 220 kmh. The force of that speed pushing you into the seat, it put the biggest smile on my face. Before I knew it the ride was over and all I could say to the driver was "AGAIN, AGAIN!"

When that score came on it instantly transported me to that moment. It lifted my mood and although the pain was still there it helped me face the day with a better outlook. It also reminded me of how important it is to find the joy especially in those hard moments.