10 Years Have Gone So Fast

I'm not usually one for sappy posts, and I’ll probably cringe at this later, but there are a few anniversaries today that I personally feel the need to pay tribute to. Today marks two 10 year anniversaries of two trivial things that are close to my heart. First of all, Star Wars Battlefront turns 10 today. Anyone who's played it knows how great this game is, and it conjures up memories (maybe ones more recent than I’m willing to admit to) of late nights of video games with friends, snacks, and soda.

The second anniversary today is the 10 yearr anniversary of Green Day's American Idiot. After spending most of my childhood soaking up my parents' Beatles, Queen, Journey, Styx, etc albums (not too bad of a musical upbringing), American Idiot was the first album I ever bought and owned for myself (my mom also told me to buy a U2 album that day and I swear I haven't even listened to the thing yet). I remember listening to it for the first time in my room on my CD player, probably solely to hear Boulevard of Broken Dreams, and being inwardly shocked at the profanity and the plot, which I misinterpreted to be some sort of evil incarnation of Jesus. American Idiot opened up the world of music for me as something personal. Even when I listen to this album today, it feels so powerful to me.

Now, the most important part of this isn't in the music or in the video game. Life changes so fast and so unpredictably and people change along with it. Nothing in my life is the same as it was 10 years ago. I've certainly grown a lot since 2004. American Idiot and Battlefront aren't just entertainment; they ground me. They are the controlled aspect of my life, and I know that if I ever go astray, I can listen to that album and play that game and remember who I am and who I was when I was at my most basic and innocent self. I look at my little brothers and think "Wow...they know themselves." And it's absolutely true. They know exactly who they are, and they don't care what anyone thinks of it. And then you see so many adults completely lost, completely miserable, searching and sifting through things that will never make them happy as a desperate attempt to reclaim themselves. What went wrong? When I listen to American Idiot or play Battlefront I'm reminded of my roots, of who I am, and who I wanted to be when I was 10 years old. And I can't think of a life path more pleasing than the one I thought of when I was just a boy. Because in the end, that's what life is about. It's about playing games with friends and laughing until you hurt your throat. It's about getting really into a song that touches you. Everything else is complete shit; I promise you that. I’m going to keep chasing the dreams of 10 year old me, because that’s the only way I know will be true.