What To Expect: Leave All Your Love and Your Longing Behind (aka Be About That Life)

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Anyone that knows me knows that I love Florence and the Machine. I listen to Florence in the car, in the kitchen, doing the dishes, scrubbing away in the tub, doing my hair.... basically, that ginger singing queen runs my life. Her music sneaks past the layers of dermis and seep comfortably in my bones. Her voice reverberates in me, her words seem more personal every time I hear them. The lyrics to "The Dog Days Are Over" always get me though.  Right after the explosive chorus, Florence croons, 

"Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father. Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers. Leave all your love and your longing behind. You can't carry it with you if you want to survive."

Newly matriculated from undergrad, with my feet on the edge of the graduate school pool, the idea of "Running Fast" has a whole new meaning. We all feel a sense of responsibility. That diploma acts as a pair of wings and a weight. I can't shake the feeling that I owe success to the world (and apparently neither can the government...HELLO gainful employment) and I don't know if I want to. 

We all know the story of the "Come Up" a la The Jeffersons. You want that deluxe apartment in the sky? Well, it doesn't come easy. George and Louise Jefferson didn't just decide to get their piece of the pie and it happened after cocktails. Before they were able to get to that point, friends and family before them struggled to them the best possible, in the hopes that George and Louise could do even better than they did. 

My entire life I have seen my parents work tirelessly to give my brother and I everything we needed to be successful. I cannot even count the amount of times I dragged my father to the library in search of a book our school media center didn't supply. Graduating college was about the work I'd put in, but even more it seemed to be about the work my parents put in. My parents' faces were the intangible push that made me write that paper at 5 am and still go to class. 

Running fast is important because the journey isn't always about you. 

Before you start that sprint to the finish line, there is a problem with idea of "run fast". Just because you aren't the only one feeling  repercussions of the metaphorical journey, doesn't mean you aren't the Beyonce of your life's Destiny's Child. The hard work that peoplehave invested in you, doesn't dictate where or even how fast you run (am I taking this analogy too far?) Right at the beginning of the song, Florence sings

"Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back"

Happiness is the end goal. No matter how much running you do, if happiness isn't the gold at the end of the rainbow then you've wasted your time and your good Nikes. A feeling of responsibility is healthy. It keeps you moving forward. It helps bind up some of the rampart selfishness that characterizes your 20s. But, responsibility should be used responsibly. Sleep on some of those gigantic life decisions that you aren't so sure of. Take your parent's push toward a doctorate with a grain of selfish salt. Move forward knowing who you owe your life too, but making every effort to make it your life.

Here is an epic live performance from Flo, crooning words we know and love.