Zero fucks given, and some music

There's times of my life I remember more fondly than others but I choose not to forget the bad times; they're a part of my life, have shaped me into who I am now, so despite being unpleasant they still belong. It's the best times I think about and enjoy the most though, they counter-balance bad memories and that's how it should be right?

Back a while we headed to the Gold Coast, a couple thousand kilometres from home, for a week of vacation. My two younger brothers and all the girlfriends were there and we spent the time on the beach swimming and surfing, eating out at restaurants and making awesome meals and playing board games back in the high-rise apartment we'd secured for the week; it was beach-front and west-facing over the South Pacific Ocean. We'd eat on the balcony of our 45th story apartment looking over the beach below and ocean beyond simply enjoying the company knowing these moments would become valued memories.

We'd all flown in, so hired a few Jeep Wranglers for the week; we took the tops off them, and ranged up and down the coast between the Gold Coast and Byron Bay and the whole time zero fucks were given about anything but having fun and living in the moment.

Of course, music came with us and I'm sharing a few tracks I recall fondly from that trip.

I remember this track, All For You, coming on the radio as we hooted along in the topless Jeep Wrangler, mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. It had not formerly been on my radar but when I heard it I loved it straight away. I guess it had a lot to do with the setting: Bikini-clad girl-person in the shotgun seat, mirrored Ray Ban aviator glasses reflecting the day, long golden hair flying in the wind, the blue-green ocean and golden beaches passing by, surf board sticking upward from the back seat and zero fucks to give about anything but the very moment we were in. It was a pretty special day and this is one of the tracks that punctuated it - the song has stayed with me ever since and when I hear it I'm carried right back to that day.

I liked this next song from the moment it was released. The beat is sort of chilled and laid back which, of course, perfectly matched the zero fucks given week and so it was played a few times...or more. The song by Uncle Kracker, Follow Me, tells a story about cheating on one's partner and giving zero fucks which isn't legit of course and not the reason I like this song...it's just super cool and funky. I recall my girl-person singing along, eyes closed, head tilting left and right and arms raised over her head catching the wind as she danced in the seat while I drove. What did the other people passing by think? Yep that's right, zero fucks given.

Lastly is this classic by Kid Rock, another that makes me think about those zero fucks given moments on that trip. All Summer Long is a song made for cruising in a topless Jeep on warm days, with no destination in mind, the right person in the shotgun seat and not many clothes on. I recall pulling into an ocean-facing car park at Byron Bay and looking out at the surf, breathing in the sea air, whilst this song played on the CD player. It was the perfect song for the view...until my girl climbed into my lap and then zero fucks were given...about the view.

It was a legit trip and one I needed very badly at the time. We had a lot of fun, surfed a little, laid on the beach like sloths, ate way too much food, hiked in the Lamington National Park, played board games in the apartment at night and sat on the balcony listening to tunes and sipping cold drinks as the sun went down. I remember it like it was yesterday despite it being years ago and hearing the tunes, the music we listened to on that trip, never fails to carry me backward.

Have you had trips like this? Those that have become treasured memories and those which are triggered by sights or sounds years later? Feel free to tell me about it in the comments below, or just make a general comment...I'll reply, you know that.