The other day while in L.A. for a conference, I heard the song "Your Song" by Elton John playing in the hotel lobby. If you don't know it, here's a YouTube link. This song has a very special meaning for me. In college, my my then-boyfriend sent me a "care package" that included, among numerous other items, a CD of songs that he said made him think of me. I went to school 13 hours from home - and him - which made the gift that much more precious. The CD, it happens, started with Your Song. While I love the entire song, my favorite line is, "I hope you don't mind that I put down in words how wonderful life is while you're in the world."
Hearing this song after such a long time -that CD sadly became scratched years ago - brought two thoughts to mind. The first is this: I am so lucky to have had someone in my life who considered their world a better place because I was part of it. I'm equally lucky to have had people in my life over the years who I've felt the same way about. This doesn't just extend to romantic relationships but to friendships and family as well.
The second thought was a bit more nostalgic. The person that introduced me to that song is no longer in my life. We unfortunately lost touch years ago. He was, and presumably still is, a truly wonderful person. It made me realize how much we sometimes take for granted in our lives. I remember both sides of our relationship - the great times and the difficult. I suspect that in the day to day, I probably put more thought into the silly arguments and petty disagreements we had than I did into the fact that this person thought the world was wonderful because of me. I think it's human nature to somewhat forget that things might not stay the same forever and to not treasure them at the time. Perhaps it's because we don't want to admit that something might falter and slip away, or because we just get caught up in every day life.
Briefly revisiting my 20-year-old self through this song, I was reminded to slow down and refocus. The grass could, I suppose, always be greener. But when I think that way, I should transport myself ahead 10 years, and think how I'll feel if I rush through this time to get to something "better". You never know how long your life will remain as it is. I, for one, never want to look back and wish I'd spent more effort to appreciate the positives.
Hearing this song after such a long time -that CD sadly became scratched years ago - brought two thoughts to mind. The first is this: I am so lucky to have had someone in my life who considered their world a better place because I was part of it. I'm equally lucky to have had people in my life over the years who I've felt the same way about. This doesn't just extend to romantic relationships but to friendships and family as well.
The second thought was a bit more nostalgic. The person that introduced me to that song is no longer in my life. We unfortunately lost touch years ago. He was, and presumably still is, a truly wonderful person. It made me realize how much we sometimes take for granted in our lives. I remember both sides of our relationship - the great times and the difficult. I suspect that in the day to day, I probably put more thought into the silly arguments and petty disagreements we had than I did into the fact that this person thought the world was wonderful because of me. I think it's human nature to somewhat forget that things might not stay the same forever and to not treasure them at the time. Perhaps it's because we don't want to admit that something might falter and slip away, or because we just get caught up in every day life.
Briefly revisiting my 20-year-old self through this song, I was reminded to slow down and refocus. The grass could, I suppose, always be greener. But when I think that way, I should transport myself ahead 10 years, and think how I'll feel if I rush through this time to get to something "better". You never know how long your life will remain as it is. I, for one, never want to look back and wish I'd spent more effort to appreciate the positives.
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