That's the Way It Goes

I used to play Pac-Man a lot. We had this little game console thing that had a few different games on it, and pac-man was one. Today I doodled a picture of Pac-Man eating a ghost and I wrote "That's the Way It Goes" circling around the drawing. I have no idea why I did it but it got me thinking bout life and how so many things just happen and people shrug their shoulders and say "well, that's the way it goes." And we just allow things to happen that probably should not ensue. And how life just kinda happens and we change and grow and mature so much, and while it happens you have no idea it is happening until you're this completely different person looking at pictures from years ago and you actually physically cringe at things you loved years ago. Such an odd process.

I was at the Hippo Campus concert a week or two ago and they sang their song "Way it Goes." The power in the venue went out at the end of the song and when it finally came back on, the lead singer said, "well kids, that's just the way it goes." It made me real happy. Super stupid joke, but it got me cheesing. Here are the lyrics to the song:

Wisconsin pines, collaborating with the day glow vibes, An altruistic breed of travel guide. It's chill, but lord knows you're trying. Zombie kids love to hear that easy Going shit. Grab a guitar and Just moaning shit. It's cool, But Lord knows you're trying. That's the way it goes. That's the way it goes. It's so satisfying. You put your records on Exclusively the old Pavement ones. A 90's soul with Doc Martens on. A step, a step away from crying. Degenerate, counter-culture, crying socialist. Hip-to-lazed crazed abstractionists. We're weird, but Lord knows we're trying. That's the way it goes. That's the way it goes. It's so satisfying. Yeah. That's the way it goes. That's the way it goes. One step away from crying. Well that's the way it goes. That's the way it goes. Yeah-eh-eh thats the way it goes. That's the way it goes. That's the way it goes. That's the way it goes. It's so satisfying. Yeah-eh-eh that's the way it goes. That's the way it goes. One step away from crying.

Hippo Campus' lyrics never really make a lot of sense. But, the general point is clear, "we're weird, but lord knows we're trying ... that's the way it goes." And that, is life. Simply put. We try. And shit happens. And that is life. It goes on, and we go along with it, and everything ends up alright. 

My freshman year, I wrote this short little essay thing for theology about how friends change and evolve. How we either make friends or meet friends, and how people change so much and not always together. I wrote that five years ago and ended it with "I love the people I am friends with now, and I hope to God I never forget them." Because that is the craziest part. If you are only friends with someone for a year, which is how long I was friends with the people that the essay was about, you might not even remember them twenty years from now. Time passes and minds need more space for other information. We have to pick and choose what we remember. Selective memory. Not everyone can make it. And isn't that insane? That you can love something so deeply one day and not even remember it later on. Or, further, we may regret or resent it later on. 

Like even just with clothes. I go through huge phases with clothes where I only wear the same thing for months at a time. For instance, I wore this neon green hoody for the majority of my sixth grade year. I loved that hoody. I took it everywhere with me. And then one day I bought an under armor hoody that I loved even more than that green one. And I wore the new hoody every day and now I could not even tell you where that green hoody is. I have no clue if I gave it away or lost it or what. I loved that hoody, and then it very abruptly meant nothing to me. And everything can be like that in life. And, it can be a really good thing that this is true. If we were always holding on to the past, we would never advance. We would always be depressed. We would never allow ourselves to find love. We would never get back out there. We would potentially never find what we are meant to find. For instance, if you quit basketball due to a hand injury, you may start playing soccer and discover that you are incredible at soccer and heck, you may even go pro. But, if when you quit basketball you let the depression of your injury get you down, you may never have found soccer and instead remain miserable forever. So, it is important to move on quickly and swiftly. But it can also be really sad, as human interconnectivity is essential to happiness, and we can often forget the humans that made us into the person we are today. 

I once heard this real interesting song at my sister's dance competition. It is pretty sad. Well, it is sad to me, because when I hear it I think of all of the instances the singer talks about and it makes me sad to know the evolution that has gone on in my life between those events and now and how I am old and life is weird. Life is so freaking weird. Anyway, here are the lyrics. I think this song is relatable and perfectly portrays the combative nature of this issue. On one hand, the love lost is what makes you, but on the other, you can never forget the hearts that shaped you. Here ya go:

A summer sunburn, The smile you earned. Stumbles and falls, The lessons you’ve learned. Choices you’ve made, Your first heartbreak. Getting too old for the batman cape. Simpler times, Wanting to fly, Mesmerized by Christmas lights. Holding out, Giving in. All the what ifs and might have beens. EVERY HEART has a story to tell. Some dreams have wings, some are torn at the seams and just sit there on the shelf. If you were to walk in my shoes, You’d see we are all the same. So find the love inside yourself, Cause EVERY HEART has a story to tell. A starburst rush, Your first real crush. Your bit by a dog, a yellow school bus. Sweet 16, That concert you missed. Your best friend and your first kiss. Learning to fall, Wanting it all. Believing in Santa Claus. A letter you wrote, A promise you broke. Knowing when to say yes and when to say no. EVERY HEART has a story to tell. Some dreams have wings, some are torn at the seams and just sit there on the shelf. If you were to walk in my shoes, You’d see we are all the same. So find the love inside yourself, Cause EVERY HEART has a story to tell. So far away, Life can take you. Never forget, The hearts that shaped you. The love of your life, The fourth of July. The times that you laughed so hard you cried. The first day of ballet, Hardships you faced. All the memories along the way. It’s the love you lost, The love you made, Makes us who we are today. EVERY HEART has a story to tell. Some dreams have wings, some are torn at the seams and just sit there on the shelf. If you were to walk in my shoes. You’d see we are all the same, So find the love inside yourself. Cause EVERY HEART has a story to tell. This is my heart. This is my story to tell. EVERY HEART has a story to tell.