We Were Young, Reckless, And Chasing the Moon

We are driving on the highway. Your hands are not on the wheel. I am falling off my own seat. The music dictates our careless behavior – it’s too catchy not to be distracted. We are shrieking the lyrics, our terrible singing overshadowing Taylor’s melodious voice. We think we are musical superstars dancing and singing to our own beat.

We are driving on the highway. We have no clear destination in mind. We should go home. It is the end of the night. Our intended purpose was already fulfilled. We left Point A and went to Point B. It was a straightforward path to an uneventful event. Twenty minutes in, your face personified boredom. Your eyes pondered a question. Should we just leave, they asked and I blinked twice confirming a yes.

So here we are, driving on the highway. We should go home. We should repeat the same old end destination. We should always go home. We should seek the comfort and familiarity of going home after a long night. We should crave the return back to Point A but we do not. We cannot miss what we never wanted in the first place. We cannot miss home if it never felt like one. We cannot go back to what we once knew if it was what we were trying to escape all along.

We are driving on the highway. We are driving away from our alleged homes in the opposite direction. It’s all novel to us. We don’t know this route. We don’t know these road signs. We don’t know these exits. We don’t know where we are headed but we embrace the uncertainty. Normally, the unknown frightens us. Not knowing where our 20 something decisions will lead us is the source of much anxiety. Financial insecurity plagues us. Transient relationships tire us. Uncertainty was always the foe until tonight.

Tonight we are the creators of indecisiveness. Every decision is made on a hunch. We throw out suggestions like Oprah gives out cars. We are an endless stream of disposable ideas. Should we take that exit? Sure! Should we stop at that gas station? Sure! Should we eat at that corner place? Sure! We are uncertain with our end goal but certain of our short-term intentions. We are on the exploratory track. We can see what is in front of us and make rash decisions. The implications of our impulsivity is on tomorrow’s agenda.

Tonight’s agenda is unwritten. Tonight we steer down unfamiliar territory. Tonight we are bold, we pursue what we don’t know with unwavering fervor. We have that age-old stereotype on our side. We are in our prime and rich on time. The hands on the clock don’t bother us. We are immune to their countdown. We are boundless for this one night. We will look back to these moments, these unplanned road trips and unexpected escapades. We will look back at these moments and remember those days when we were young, reckless and chasing the moon. We will look back at these nights and remember the glistening glow of the moon and how it guided us amidst the darkness.