Meet Me Where You're Going

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Most of the time when I find a new band, or a new genre of music, it's because someone recommended them to me.  I rarely listen to the radio - it's Spotify all the way for me.  However, there is one band that I randomly found on my own.  I used to be obsessed with the phrase "Cloud 9" in highschool - even wrote lots of stupid stickman comics about drama, love, and all the junk like that that goes on when you're that age.  And so, on a whim, I typed "Cloud" into the Spotify search bar, and the first suggestion was an indie band called "Cloud Cult."  I was instantly enthralled.

Through the years, I have religiously followed Cloud Cult through their pain, their recovery, and the expression of those emotions in their music.  In 2013 they released one of my absolute favorite albums to date: Love.  It's a simple title, but the album itself is profound.


The night I proposed to Virginia, now my fiance, I created a playlist called The Night.  On it were songs that held significance to both of us, and I had a dear friend que it just as we walked in the room where I would ask her to be my wife.  One of the songs that I chose was "Meet Me Where You're Going," which you're hopefully listening to right now.  Like I do with most of my music, I took meaning from the title, from the words, and the heavy emotion that's poured into the song.  What an appropriate song for such a night!  But like most music, it grew and evolved with me, and last night I had a revelation.

Meandering down life's path,

Meeting its wrath,

With you at my side,

Your pace a quick stride:

Going where you are.

"Run away with me, yeah, let's get married. Will you be the rest of my life? Every day with you I say "I do", and it means so much more each time."  These lines were obviously a wonderful choice for a proposal night.  But what about, "Thank you for patience. Thank you for-giveness. Thank you for spending this time with me. Meet me where you're going, cuz I wanna be going wherever you'll be."

Recently I've had a lot on my plate and on my mind.  We all have, especially we seniors.  It's very easy to get annoyed with each other, and I find myself often getting annoyed at those people who have walked college's path with me ever so closely for four years.  Some of my dearest friends.

Have you ever been backpacking with three or more people?  There's always that one person who leads, and you fall behind.  You get to a hard stretch of trail, and talking and chatting stops all together.  Maybe that front person pulls ahead, and it feels as if you're no longer on the hike together, but as individuals.  But you know what?  You're not.  You're both on the same trail, and most likely, you're hiking together because you love each other.  From my perspective, even if it seems like my friends have their back to me, hiking at their own pace and investing in other things, I want to Meet Them Where They're Going.  I value them so much that I'd rather "go wherever they'll be," than be annoyed that they're not prioritizing me.

Aside from the obvious message between lovers, Cloud Cult's MMWYG reminds me that we're all on the same trail together.  We should all value where they're going first, because most likely we'll all be better off in the long run.  Relationships always trump the day to day mediocrity of life, even if it's the last little stretch of school.

So to my fiance, to my family, and specifically to my friends here on the Hill, with whom I have such little time remaining, "I love you and how. Won't leave you alone. Will you be my home now? And I'll be your home."