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I’d rather look at Ella Langley, but I don’t mind a little Kenny Chesney now and then. So, in the “Summertime” “When the Sun Goes Down,” I tune in to a few of his classics. “She Thinks my Tractor’s Sexy” makes the me smile, but “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven” makes me think.

One line in the chorus of that tune changes each time, but you get the drift with:

“Everybody wants to go to heaven
Have a mansion high above the clouds
Everybody wanna go to heaven
But nobody wanna go now.”

Now those words are worthy of contemplation! They remind me a little of “Should I go, or should I stay? … This indecision’s bugging me.” Who would have thought that Chesney and The Clash were on the same page?

Chesney sings a truth. Maybe not a universal truth, but a truth. “Nobody wanna go now.” The Clash get directly to the point. “Should I go, or should I stay? … This indecision’s bugging me.” Both describe a tremendous internal conflict that occasionally resonates within our souls.

Together they become ponder fodder; and if digested with three Mountain Dews and two pop tarts, they can lead to some interesting exchanges about life and the afterlife. The spirit moves in mysterious ways when you combine powerful topics with that much caffeine and sugar.

After the second Dew my mind goes to the ticket options. If I am gone and can’t stay… if my “right now” is out of my hands, where do I get on board for the final destination? Is it a Star Trek experience? Will Scotty beam me up and over to Mt. Sinai for passage instructions, or will I be dropped off near the road to Damascus to wait for the light to move me.

Obviously, I am trying to be upbeat about my travel plans. Chesney’s hit highlights the desire to go to heaven but on your own schedule. That approach seems flawed but is full of energy.

Hopefully those positive vibes will let me fly away in the right direction; but since the good guys in the Bible walked, I’m guessing I’ll need sandals.

Once again, I am such an optimist! I’m feeling good about a lot of us being blessed with undeserved travel rewards. Good conversation. Great company! And, the rules won’t change. We’ll have to put our best foot forward on that hike too. With so many travelers coming from so many directions, Gabriel may be working on crowd-control techniques to lessen the unintentional bumping and shoving.

If Gabriel has been monitoring earthly innovations, he might suggest roundabouts. Who knows he may have already said, “God, have you seen what they’re doing in Carmel, Indiana? One roundabout after another! Sure, they get a little dizzy, but it’ll make hoofing it to heaven less congested.”

“Pedestrian roundabouts? I don’t see anyone using those in the schools or at Memorial Stadium. Gabriel, remember when you thought the queuing system at Disney was great too? Quit stealing ideas and accept that Mine are okay. Just make ‘em feel welcome when you take the tickets. You can wing that, can’t you?”

Well, Gabriel, I’m as guilty as you are. Here I am thinking about strategies for that ultimate road trip, and I’m not in charge. Too much caffeine and too many raspberry pop tarts can lead to that. Maybe I need a change of diet and a new song.

With that in mind and the sugar high wearing off, I might just turn the radio on and hope that Dolly Parton and Brad Paisley are singing, "When I Get Where I'm Going” before I fall asleep. That melody always lets me reflect on the peace and joy that’s waiting in heaven.

There are two things I’m certain about. When the roll is called up yonder, nobody up there will need an unqualified Highway-to-Heaven engineer to tell them what to do. And, nobody down here will ever find a AAA triptik that’ll completely explain the itinerary.

I imagine Dolly and Brad have been humming "When I Get Where I'm Going” for a day or two. If you don’t know the words, take a peek at the lyrics. Who knows? When that time actually comes for me, maybe I’ll defy the odds and wanna go. Maybe I’ll also wanna do a little humming myself.