Ever the same

Fall on me
Tell me everything you want me to be
Forever with you forever in me
Ever the same

Have you ever felt like there is a song you associate with a particular time in your life? There was a time when I had Usher & Alicia Keys’ “My Boo” on repeat; or a couple of months that I listened to Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” to fall asleep; or waaaayy back when I could remember every word to Celine Dion’s “My heart will go on”. Hearing an old favorite on the radio brought out memories so strong that I can almost smell the pizza shop that was always there when we played the song on repeat.

This year, for some reason, Rob Thomas’ “Ever the same” is on my repeat list, above “Check up on it”, or “SOS” or “So Sick”. I don’t even think many people like that song, but I have it on repeat.

We would stand in the wind
We were free like water
Flowing down
Under the warmth of the sun
Now it's cold and we're scared
And we've both been shaken
Hey, look at us
Man, this doesn't need to be the end

We are always scared of changes. It is in the midst of dramatic changes that we desperately hope important things, like family, friendship and dreams, will remain constant. “Ever the same”, how is that possible? Even diamonds degrade. But is a balance, a net equilibrium of dynamic exchanges possible? A really picky parent asked me a question when I gave campus tours to the accepted students on Welcoming Day, “How does Northeastern keep the unity of students when people go on different schedules?” I guess he was trying to get at how people stay in touch when Co-op and classes get in the way. Hello! There is a thing called “internet”, there is another thing called “cell phone”. You only see large congregations of freshman or high school kids migrating back and forth from dinning hall to the dorm, like march of penguins. Perhaps the tendency to do EVERYTHING together is lost, but hopefully there is a new understanding in spite of distances, time or thoughts unexpressed (or gossip unexchanged).

Fall on me
Tell me everything you want me to be

Just let me hold you while you're falling apart
Just let me hold you and we’ll both fall down

Is it hopeless or sanguine? No one can be EVERYTHING you want them to be. But the offer to be a better friend is sincere. Some other song goes, “Teach me right from wrong, and I will show you what I can be.”