I'll Follow the Sun

I love this song.  I'll Follow the Sun was released on the Beatles' 1964 album "Beatles for Sale." It might be a stretch, but to me this song is about the way time is constantly driving life forward.  Despite our best laid plans, none of us really knows what's up ahead.  However, this song is a reminder to me that the future always holds promise, that tomorrow can always be better than today.

I'll Follow the Sun made so much sense to me this time last year.  I was packing all of my belongings, bidding countless farewells, and throwing myself towards the future.  I was so excited, and I knew that even though I had to leave treasured memories and friends behind, I truly was "following the sun" when I came to Penn State.  I was bored in my small town.  I was ready to be an adult, to get out in the world, to learn, and to accomplish.  I counted down the days until my first year at college would officially begin.  When I finally arrived, it was better than I had ever expected.  It's funny though that amidst all my planning and anticipation for Penn State, I never thought about the day my first year at college would officially end.  In one week, I'm going back to the place I chose to leave, and this time it doesn't feel quite so much like I'm "following the sun."

Marveling at how quickly freshman year has gone by, a good friend said to me, "You've gotten a dollar in change, and you've already spent one quarter.  There are only three quarters left!" It's a sobering thought, and I couldn't help but fear, "Have I spent my first quarter wisely?  Or was it all a waste of my first 25 cents?"  So I decided to gather up all of my receipts from the past nine months, hoping to be satisfied with my use of the first quarter.

I spent my quarter on making the blue band.  On learning to live on my own and on learning to live with a stranger.  On joining the School of Music.  On quitting the School of Music.  On finding out how much I love psychology.  On gaining TONS of knowledge.  On sleeping through class.  On learning to wake up for class.  On marching my first pre game show in front of 110,000.  On eating Canyon Pizza.  On staying up for two days straight before winter finals.  On writing blogs every week and rekindling my love for the Beatles.  On learning about myself.  On procrastinating.  On making late night trips to Kiwi.  On rioting.  On singing the Alma Mater by candlelight.  On meeting my best friends.  On loving a person like I never thought I could.  On having the time of my life.

All that for one quarter.  I'm pleased with the way I've chosen to spend it, but I suppose that in a way, I'm sad that it's already gone.  I wish I could hold on to it and spend it all again, but there's no sense in that.  I'm plowing towards tomorrow whether I want to or not, and there's no reason it can't be even better than the past nine months.  I love Penn State, "but now the time has come, and so my love I must go."  Luckily, I still have three quarters left.  The future always holds promise, whether that be at home this summer working, at Penn State next fall headed towards 50 cents, or years down the road.  Leaving Penn State next week will be bittersweet, but I still have so much to look forward to!  "Tomorrow may rain so I'll follow the sun."


"One day you'll find that I have gone, but tomorrow may rain so I'll follow the sun."

Come Together

Something has changed on campus.  Up until now, students have travelled the streets of Penn State mostly in packs, sometimes alone, and on occasion, in pairs.  However, in recent weeks, it seems like nearly EVERYONE has coupled up.   All around town they can be spotted, generally one boy and one girl (though this is not a strict formula and can be varied.)  They’re holding hands, smiling, and exchanging long glances and sweet nothings as they wander aimlessly around town.  Is it just a coincidence that everyone seems do as the Beatles’ title Come Together suggests when the weather gets warm, or is there some psychological/physiological explanation behind this explosion of love in the springtime?  I decided to do a little research and find out for myself…

As a matter of fact, the increased sunshine and longer days of spring actually produce hormonal changes.  When the temperature rises, the body secretes less melatonin, resulting in a decrease of the drudging tiredness we feel during the winter.  Serotonin, which governs mood, also increases in the spring, along with testosterone and estrogen.  Finally, animals (humans included) may produce more pheromones, chemicals that attract the opposite sex, when the sun comes out. Some people call spring’s effects on the body “Spring Fever,” which isn’t really a fever or any real illness at all.

You may have Spring Fever if the onset of warm weather causes you to experience:

• Extra energy and increased productivity
• Increased feelings of giddiness/impulsivity; uncanny enthusiasm for life
• Increased libido; unexplainable motivation to begin new relationships

Hormonal changes may be responsible for these symptoms, which when combined are likely to produce greater feelings of closeness/desire/love.  Some people attribute the elevated levels of romance to the simple fact that humans (especially the female type) tend to wear less clothing when the weather gets warmer.  On a college campus, the coupling up may be connected to the “now or never” attitude we experience when summer nears. 

Whatever the reasoning behind it, it’s undeniable that something happens in the spring that triggers romantic feelings.  (After all, more unplanned pregnancies occur in the springtime than any other season.) It’s a strange phenomenon, almost as strange as the lyrics of Come Together.  (In their later career, the Beatles’ music became increasingly bizarre.)  When warm weather appears, suddenly “Here come old flat top, he come grooving up slowly.”  Friendships begin to blossom into something more as males and females (again, not a strict formula) look at each other and say, “I know you, and you know me.”  They run to each other, and they “Come together.”

“Come together, right now, over me.”

Penny Lane

This past weekend, I brought Colin (the boyfriend) home with me for Easter.  It was a big step for us.  He was able to spend a lot of time with my family, meet my friends, and play with my dog, and I was able to show him the place where I spent the majority of my childhood, a place that in many ways is like “Penny Lane” from the 1967 Beatles song of the same name.

I come from a small, rural, economically-disadvantaged town, and unlike many of my neighbors, I never had much “hometown pride” growing up.  I was ashamed of the unemployment rates, frustrated with the lack of opportunities available to me in my high school, and bored by the complete void of entertainment in my town.  Mostly, I felt trapped, suffocated in such a small area.  I remember counting down the days until my move to State College, a big city in comparison.  I couldn’t wait to leave.

I was nervous to bring Colin to this place, especially after visiting the beautiful, blossoming suburb he grew up in over spring break.  However, he was clearly excited and talked about our upcoming adventure weeks in advance.  Still, I was completely surprised to see Colin’s delight and fascination when we finally arrived.  He marveled at the small town storefronts, giggled when I knew nearly every person we saw, and loved my house tucked away in the woods.  I showed him all of the major downtown landmarks:  the school, the football field, the tiny grocery store, our two stoplights… and I also took him to some lesser explored places:  the old fishing docks at the lake, the ATV trails through the forest, and “The Gorge”—a lookout over a breathtaking valley that only a brave hiker can get to.  When he turned to me and whispered, “You know, I think I could live here,” I was confused.  “There’s nothing here!” I wanted to scream.  But Colin sees in the world in a special way… it’s one of the things I love most about him.  Looking at my town through his eyes, I was finally able to see its promise and beauty. 

 Except for the Beatles fans flocking to catch a glimpse of John Lennon’s house, my town is Penny Lane.  It’s a place where “all the people that come and go stop and say hello.”  It’s a quiet place, a safe place.  For outdoor lovers like Colin, it’s a land of endless adventure.  It may not have much, but it’s home.  It’s “in my ears and in my eyes.”  No matter where I end up, it’s a place where “I sit and meanwhile back” at home, I’ll always be welcomed.  Maybe I had to move away to finally see it, but I know now that I’m lucky to have grown up in “Penny Lane.”

Oh Penny Lane

A Hard Day's Night

At Penn State, it seems like every three weeks or so, all of the professors get together and scheme against us.  “These kids have been having too much fun lately.  This week, let’s do everything we can to just destroy them.”  And then, all in the span of a few days, we’re pounded.  Every class demands something else.  Each exam calls for another night of studying.  Each project begs us to squeeze out more creativity from our already exhausted minds.  It is during weeks like these when I am reminded of the Beatles’ A Hard Days Night from their album of the same name.  A Hard Day’s Night is a song about a guy who works really, really hard, and at the end of the day, his mind and body beg him to sleep.  I know we can all relate to that!

However, everything works out for this guy in the song.  As the lyrics continue, he finally leaves his workload behind and heads home.  There, he is greeted by a woman who loves him.  Suddenly, he doesn’t care about sleep anymore, because this girl is exactly what he needs to wind down and relax.  Despite the struggles of his day, being with her makes him feel “all right.”

It’s kind of the same at Penn State.  Maybe we don’t all come home to a caring lover who will take away the stress of day the (and maybe some of us do), but we still know how to have a good time after “It’s been a hard day’s night.”  Whenever “I’ve been working like a dog,” and brew another pot of coffee at 3am to finish the paper I have to write and the debate I have to prepare and the video presentation that needs put together and the four exams I have to study for, I know “I should be sleeping like a log.”  But that’s not what I do.  I want to spend time with the people who will “Make me feel all right.”  We’re working hard because we’ve got big goals to accomplish, “So why on Earth should I moan?”  I’m motivated to keep pushing through the workload, because I know that, “When I get home to you, I find the things that you do, will make me feel all right.”

“You know I feel all right.”