me

I listen to a lot of music.  My friends and I are all in band and have strong opinions pertaining to music choice.  Normally I enjoy more complex selections.  But my favorite song isn't.  A song that was probably on a most Top 40 radio stations four years ago, a song that was really a one-hit-wonder for a pretty average band, a song with a unique melody, but lyrics that make no sense, stuck to me.  Initially, I don't quite know why I loved it so much.  It just made me feel that thing that happens when you are so utterly happy and everything is perfect and full. Full of love and life and every positive emotion and that feeling of being alive.  It's youth and freedom and love and stupidity and memories.  Oh the memories.  Those snippets of time that leave you unsure whether to cry because you can never relive it or smile because it happened in the first place.  I listened to the song so much this last summer that if I close my eyes I can feel the wind soaring into the open window of a car, I can hear the sail of a boat rustling in the wind, I can taste the Arizona Ice tea and dumb decisions, I can smell that weird scent the earth makes after it rains and worms crawl onto the sidewalk, I can see the open road and headlights and unfamiliar street signs of God-knows-where.  And even though I can appreciate my youth now, I won't fully be able to "until many years [from now]".  Like Amy Tan looking upon her "fourteen" year old self,  I know I will see the ignorance and stupidity and all the things old people tell you to that one day will become apparent.  But that's alright.  Tan knows the boy she "fell in love with" wasn't real love, and that there was nothing to be ashamed about, but the emotions she felt will stay with her forever.  Maybe when she sees "a slimy rock cod" it's her song. Maybe the fish will make her remember all the little things that become so easy to forget.

The song that I didn't name earlier but have been listening to on repeat for 45 minutes.  I wanted you to see it from my view before your own listening experience-- or lack of-- changed the way you saw it.  And yes, the name of the song is very relevant.

Kids