There are few things in this world that can’t be cured by a good old-fashioned joyride. My mom and I were talking about this the other day. It’s sort of like a mini-vacation from the world. No matter what kind of car you drive or music you listen to, it’s a getaway.
High school is never the easiest time. For anyone. You’re trying to figure out who you are, you’re getting in more fights with your parents, boys are suddenly a thing, and your hormones are raging and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. It’s fun, but it’s also super scary and happens at a break-neck pace. I remember my first day of ninth grade. It was exhausting and scary. I remember my last day of twelfth grade. It was also exhausting and scary. The days in between were no different, for the most part.
Not to say that it wasn’t fun. Being in high school is fun. Discovering yourself is fun. When we look back on that time of our lives, we remember how carefree it was compared to the life we have now. I mean, think about it – no bills, no student debt, no complicated relationships or serious drama (there’s high school drama, but that’s different.)
One of my favorite things to do when I was in high school was my drives to and from school. I was totally alone for a half-hour out of my day and could listen to my music, sing at the top of my lungs, and dance at traffic lights. It’s how I let off steam, how I brushed off drama, how I dealt with problems.
And I still do that, when I get the chance. My commute is fairly short, but if I find myself on a nice night with an open road, there’s a 99% chance I’m blasting Fleetwood Mac and performing my own personal concert. Some of the best therapy, and it’s free.
Day Twenty-Five: Beautiful – Ben Rector
Guess how I started listening to Ben Rector? Pandora. Yup. Pandora. Honestly, I still have no idea who still uses Pandora, but I do have it to thank for Ben Rector. He quickly became one of my favorite singer-songwriters, because a lot of what he sang were things I was feeling. I related to Ben, because he was young like me. He understood what it felt like to be young. He described the hardships of life sometimes with breezy vocals and sometimes with serious ballads. While his voice and style are easy to listen to, he gets real about a lot of things, like growing up, making money, and being famous.
There are days when I wake up
That I don’t know what I’m doing here
I barely recognize the pair of eyes looking back at me
In the mirror
I’m barely even into my twenties and I already know that adulthood isn’t always easy. It’s easy to get bogged down by the everyday, by the “grind,” if you will, and knowing that you’ll only get older and get more responsibilities. There’s a lot of good in that, but you also can never go back to that innocent kid you once were.
There was a day when I was free
Not a care that I could see
So good I barely could believe that it was happening
Oh take me back again
I was able to see Ben Rector in concert when I was in eleventh grade – which, I might add, was probably my most difficult year of high school. My friend Abby and I were also able to meet him after the show – it felt unreal. And it kind of made me realize that I’m not alone.
How do we end up like this?
Living lives that we don’t care about
Too busy fixing things on computer screens
While the grass grows green
Me, I’m screamin’ out
After meeting him, he became more important to me and my music life. Ben has talked openly and honestly about fame – it’s not easy. He also can’t go back to the innocent boy he used to be, either. But we all have our ways of escaping.
I was sixteen with an open heart
Windows down in a beat-up car
When I was dumb and the world was young
And she was beautiful
I’ll make this post short, since yesterday’s was long. Sometimes we have to reconnect with the heart and soul of that young, dumb sixteen year old so we can remain fully alive today. Sure, we have more responsibilities, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun.
So take that joyride. Crank up the speaker. Make life beautiful again.
Audrey D. DeBoer 