You know those songs that just stay relevant forever? You might not hear it for a few years but when you do you still know every word and somehow it still makes as much sense to you as it did the first time you heard it.
I was in middle (hehe) school when I first heard “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World. My class used to all go to Olney 9 Cinemas every Friday to see whatever was opening. Usually we were joined by kids from St. Peters, Rosa Parks, and Farquhar. I’m positive that we were all pains in the ass to normal folks just trying to catch a movie.
ANWAY- Katie Noethe (who is getting married this weekend!) was sitting in front of me one of those Fridays and I saw her *hold hands* with Trevor Stuart which was Earth shattering because I liked Trevor. I ran out of the theater in a blind rage and into the bathroom. My bestie Joanne (who is having a baby next month!) followed me and talked me down from my tears and “The Middle” came on in the bathroom over the PA system and Joanne held my hands and said something like “Listen to this song. It’s like about us.”
“The Middle” came back to me when I started listening to We The Kings. It’s apparently the song that made Travis want to start a band. They play it at, almost, if not, all, of their shows and Kendall doesn’t remember but it was the last song they played before they called us on stage for him to propose.
I’ve recently started thinking about “The Middle” again as I’m trying to figure out my real place in the world. I’m so blessed with a marriage to someone I love, an amazing family, and beautiful friends, inside and out. But I still feel like I lack a clear vision of where I want to be when I grow up. And I’m almost 30… shouldn’t I know this by now?
Last weekend, at my friend Brittany’s wedding, her mom Kathy, who I’ve known since I was 18, came up to me to tell me she read all of my blog posts and was so proud of me for putting myself out there. She acknowledged that it’s HARD and kind of scary to be honest and write from the heart and we stood there crying and hugging for a few minutes. Kathy was right. It is hard and I DO put myself out there. And I’m just getting started.
I think I treat my blog more like a diary than a lot of the women in my circle. And that’s OK. I have a passion for writing and connecting with people and I’m going to keep doing it and see where it takes me. Would I love to be a community manager for a cool company? Yea! Would I love to one day write a book? Or see my Etsy shop turn into its own apparel line? You betcha. The world is my oyster and, really, I’m more in “The Middle” right now than I was at 13.