Don’t forget where you belong

Sidney, Co-Editor-in-Chief

As I sat on my early morning flight to Mexico for spring break, ten thousand feet above the ground and already hundreds of miles away from Cedar Rapids, I was surprised by my incapability to fall asleep. Instead of trying any longer, I opened up the window shade and peered outside. If you’ve ever been on a plane, you know it’s hard to not think of all of the people below you and imagine how each person lives a life as complex as yours. Just as I was in the middle of this routine, a song by my younger heartthrob boy band came on shuffle. “Don’t Forget Where You Belong” by One Direction is a song I’ve seen live, but until this moment, it had never struck a chord with me.

If you’re not familiar with the song, I’ll try to fill you in. The song talks about growing up and creating your own life, but still being appreciative of everything that made you who you are today.  The lyrics brought a flood of thoughts with them: memories, realizations, bittersweet emotions, and everything in between. All of the sudden, my senior spring break was upon me. I graduate in two months. I don’t know if I’m ready to leave my parents. I can’t wait for a week in paradise with my friends. I realized I had spent about a month talking about how I couldn’t wait to leave Iowa for a week, how much I disliked the weather, and how it would be even better when I get to leave Cedar Rapids at the end of the summer. Here’s the thing: no one’s arguing with me when I say Iowa’s weather stinks and that at times our lives are so flooded with problems and drama that we need an escape. As much as I complain and as much as I think I’m ready to leave, I cannot deny that Cedar Rapids is all I have known and it has given me everything. This is where my friends are, this is where my family lives, this is the town I’ve come to know for eighteen years, and it will be hard to leave. Iowa may be a place we eventually leave, but it should never be a place we take for granted. It is less about where you live and more about the people who experience life with you that make a place special.

Additionally, the song gave me a perfect perspective going into my trip. It was easy to see how lucky I was to be where I was with the people I was with, how grateful I was for everything my parents do for me, and the mindset to take in every moment as it came. If you find yourself stuck in a negative mindset, change your perspective. A moment becomes a memory before you know it. In the wise words of a man in Drake’s “God’s Plan” music video, “Thank God for what’s happening right now, it might not be good, but thank God.” Seniors, we have two months left. Cherish it, make memories, and have fun, but when it’s our time to leave, don’t forget where you came from.

Sidney Scott 

Co-Editor-in-Chief