A new year is usually a good thing, an exciting thing—but
2015 is a little more intimidating than the others. 2015 is the year I graduate
from the college that I’ve sometimes hated but loved just as fiercely. It’s the
year I venture outside the little bubble where I live with my best friends,
where the Starbucks baristas remember my name, where I know shortcuts around
campus like the back of my hand. It’s the year of uncertainty, of dreams that
can be crushed just as easily as they can be achieved, of making bigger
decisions than I’ve ever had to make before. It’s the year I’ve longed for but
dreaded, and it’s the year that is finally here.
There are resolutions upon resolutions that I could make
for the new year, like working out more, not skipping meals, and learning how
to cook, but if there is one promise that I absolutely have to make to myself
for 2015, it is to accept the future as
it comes, even if it’s not the future I saw for myself.
Last week, I went to New York City to watch “Beautiful
The Carole King Musical,” which was based off the true story of
singer-songwriter Carole King’s rise to fame. While she was always a talented
composer, Carole struggled with writing meaningful lyrics for her music. As
fate would have it, she met and fell in love with aspiring playwright Gerry
Goffin while in college and the two not only quickly married and had a child,
but Carole’s musical talent and Gerry’s penchant with words made them a
powerhouse for top radio hits. The happy couple enjoyed several years of magic
and success, but Gerry soon became frustrated with writing catchy radio tunes,
wanting instead to create a new style and sound, to be the pioneer of the next
generation of music. Gerry’s obsession, though, led to irrational behavior,
infidelity, and eventually, the deterioration of his marriage. Without Gerry,
Carole felt completely broken—not only did she lose the love of her life, but
she also lost the voice and the words behind her music. With time, though,
Carole began writing her own songs, and performing them too. It wasn’t easy,
but in the end she produced her famous album Tapestry, which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1972—something
that never would have happened if her life hadn’t been turned upside down. I
was tearing up by the end of the musical because it kind of hit home for me. The
upcoming year is going to be a big one, and I’m pretty sure it’s not going to
be a smooth ride, but it is comforting to know that even if your world comes
crashing down on you like it did for Carole King, it might just be a blessing
in disguise.
-B.