Life’s been pretty hard lately. I’d have to put 2015 down as probably the worst year of my life. I lost my best friend (mom), had to dump a ton of money into my car after it broke down and most recently, my apartment — my home and where I found comfort — burned down right before my eyes.
But what choice do we have when the going gets tough, than to keep going?
Modest Mouse’s “Dashboard” may be an old song (it came out way back in 2007), but like other meaningful ballads by the band (“World at Large,” “Float On,” etc.), it reminds us to see the bright side of things and keep going, and see the positives that remain around us. This song appeared on album “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.”
According to Wikipedia (such a reliable source) this song’s lyrics were improvised by Johnny Marr, formerly co-songwriter for the Smiths, and currently a singer-songwriter.
“On the first night we (Marr and Isaac Brock) just set up two amps opposite each other and just got louder and louder and improvised,” Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock said in an interview. “I just started playing ‘Dashboard,’ which I’d been playing a few weeks before and forgotten about. And he instantly started improvising the lyrics, which knocked me out. To see someone produce those lyrics just off the top of his head is amazing: I’ve never seen it done in such a way.”
Not only does this track have amazing meaning, but it’s also super catchy, so I can’t stop listening to it.
Tunes aside, even though it’s incredibly difficult, it’s crucial to seek out positives despite the negativity that may way us down and impact our lives in a big way. For example, I’m eternally grateful that myself, my roommate and neighbors all made it out of the fire alive. And a lot of my things, especially sentimental, were salvaged. It was terrible, but it could have been so much worse. I’m thankful for the time I had with my mom — though it never could’ve been enough. I am glad she took exposed me to nature, because it’s a place where I can find happiness and comfort any time I am feeling low. I am surrounded by great people who love and care about me. I think I am moving in the right direction in life, and approaching all of the bumps slowly and carefully, but never allowing them to force me to turn around. Yes, they slow you down. Sometimes they put you on a different path — a detour — but you should never allow them to fully change your route. Struggle is life, but life can be beautiful too. See the positives.
“Well, it would’ve been
Could’ve been worse than you would ever know
Oh, the dashboard melted
But we still have the radio.”
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