So I had one of those magical moments recently where everything in life kind-of clicked into place.
Growing up, the original “Forever Young” was our song. I’ll never be able to listen to it without tearing up. Mostly, it makes me happy, thinking about my friends from home. It makes me remember our youth, reminding me that life moves fast, too fucking fast. But it also makes my heart hurt thinking about my girlfriend who is gone now, and other small-town stories that haven’t been fair. That’s just how life goes.
Then last week, I had a photo shoot for the book at Milk Studios. In my black, strapless pant-suit and cherry-bomb YSL lipstick, I felt completely out of my league. The photographer told me to unclench my jaw, to “look like you have a secret,” to loosen my shoulders, fix my posture, and shift my face from bitchy to bold. Ahhh! The game is over, I told myself, I don’t belong here.
Then this song came on.
As a testament to how little free time I’ve had over the last year and a half, I hadn’t even heard it before. “Wait, how did Jay-Z get into Forever Young?!” I asked, instantly refueled by the beat. The photo-stylists smirked, but nicely. Yeah, yeah, it’s been out for a while, I learned.
Suddenly, the sound got in my bones. I started to have fun, be proud, feel light. But it was also incredibly powerful. Like I was channeling the seventeen-year old on Eunice Drive who would dream of her future, envisioning this EXACT moment, set to these EXACT words.
Now it’s all so unbelievably real. And as I lived it and loved it for a few minutes there, everything in life made perfect sense. Or at least it did…in that moment…to this song…at Milk Studios.
(Source: laurennnnbell)
