When We Were Young

Even though I'm feeling mostly better, today as I've tried to settle down to work, it hasn't come easily. I decided to turn on Spotify for a little inspiration, and it didn't disappoint from the very first track:

Everybody loves the things you do
From the way you talk to the way you move
Everybody here is watching you
'Cause you feel like home
You're like a dream come true

But if by chance you're here alone
Can I have a moment before I go?
'Cause I've been by myself all night long
Hoping you're someone I used to know

You look like a movie
You sound like a song
My God, this reminds me
Of when we were young

Love, love, love that voice.

And speaking of being young, my oldest got his driver's license today. Gulp. I feel proud, I feel nervous, I feel liberated, I feel so many things.

I texted my friend to tell her, and she reminded me of something funny I wrote on my new year's resolutions for 1987:

"Obtain my driver's license, but use it responsibly, and not as a weapon."

What!? I'm not quite sure what I meant by using it as a weapon, but I will tell you that I hope like hell my son uses his more responsibly than I did mine in those days.

No wonder I'm feeling unsettled today. My kid's growing up, and I'm saying goodbye to the central focus of my consciousness for the last five years (I wish that were an exaggeration, but I'm afraid it's the truth).

I'll tell you what I'm not feeling that our 25 year old diva sings about in this song, and that's sad or mad about aging:

Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
We were sad of getting old
It made us restless
Oh I'm so mad I'm getting old
It makes me reckless
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song
When we were young

Aging is good. Aging brings wisdom. Aging brings perspective. Aging brings strength.

And yeah, there are also losses. But all those things I named that aging brings allows for peace of in the face of them and the knowledge that losses are a part of life...