Song-Induced Ramble


Don't make plans, 'cause that's just hoping
Don't make promises, 'cause they get broken
Let's just take it one day at a time
And live our lives
'Cause hearts fall harder from higher places
Love gets lost in expectations
Let's just take it one day at a time
And live our lives
...
'Cause all I've ever known
Is being in the moment
Suddenly you're here with me
I want to say forever
But I know it's better
If we don't say a thing
_______________________________________________

I heard this song a short while ago on Pandora's Jason Reeves station, and since then have put it on repeat. I wish I could say that I do exactly what the lyrics prescribe, but I often can't help but end up wanting to--or at least talking about--make plans and promises. Don't get me wrong--I love the whole one day at a time thing, but eventually, one has to make plans, methinks. Without the expectation of a future or any expectations at all, it's hard to do so many things, because you never know whether the time and effort you invest now will yield anything fruitful. Arguably, such expectations are the very factor that inhibits the pure enjoyment of each day. While love--among other things--gets lost in expectations, I can't help but establish them and maybe even, perversely enough, hope that my heart falls harder from higher places (and rebounds, of course), because that means I will have given myself the opportunity to try new heights, to trust new people. Sometimes, I think that "taking it one day at a time" is an excuse to be lazy and to keep things simple so as to avoid thinking about the future or making a commitment. Other times, I acknowledge that that truly is all one can say with regards to the future. You never know what will suddenly come up, and what will suddenly change. Scarily enough, people themselves can change just as suddenly--seemingly, anyway. I suppose, then, that taking it one day at a time is a sort of precaution which aims to prevent disappointment or hurt. In that sense, doesn't it seem like walking on eggshells, knowing that there are certain limits to what you can do one day because you don't want that to lead to an expectation or promise? So what then?

The only lyric that I wholeheartedly agree with is:
I want to say forever
But I know it's better
If we don't say a thing

Frankly, until a moment ago, I thought I had long since resolved all commitment issues, but the fact that I can't say--much less promise--forever to anyone about anything led me to reconsider that. Or perhaps I can't be blamed for that, because forever, despite being only three syllables and seven letters, is an enormous word which comes with all the more enormous expectations.

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