Growing older doesn’t mean growing apart

I have cried alone in my car in the past month more times than I should admit in a published column. It is all because of the song “7 Years” by the Danish band Lukas Graham.
There are certain songs that always make me feel something — the best songs should always make you feel something. “Hey Ya” by OutKast makes me happy, “You Are My Sunshine” makes me nostalgic, and “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train makes me want to change the channel immediately.
I was riding in the car with my mom a couple of weeks ago before watching a Michigan State basketball game on TV. The radio was playing commercials so I changed the station and “7 Years” came on. I asked if she had heard it before because it is always on the radio, but she said she hadn’t which confirmed my suspicion that she lives under a rock. Then those cursed lyrics came on. From under my sunglasses I teared up, and few tears fell. My mom saw my tears and just laughed at me. She ended up leaving me in the car to have a moment by myself while she went inside the Anderson’s to get her snack.
I’ve heard “7 Years” probably 20 times, and when it gets to a certain part it makes me feel really sad. The lyrics go, “I made a man so happy when I wrote a letter once. I hope my children come and visit once or twice a month.” Instant tears. And I think to myself, “Why? Why do I feel this way? I shouldn’t be so affected by this.”
I think the reason that line affects me so much is because my parents are getting older (like everyone else) and they will be retiring at the same time I will be the busiest with my life. I don’t want to become the kind of person that only sees their family on holidays or just once or twice a month, but I have a secret fear that I will, and it might even be less often than that. I don’t want to be like the Papaw’s grandchildren who went viral when they didn’t show up to his dinner where he made them all burgers. I have all the time in the world to visit my parents now, because I live at home, but in the years ahead I won’t have that kind of convenience.
“7 Years” is all about growing up and the problems we face with age. It goes from someone being seven years old and struggling to make friends, to an 11-year-old who faces social pressure, and then they’re 20, working on a career, imagining what they will be like at age 30 and 60. They imagine older life as someone who has children and only gets to see some of their friends from the past. It is a coming-of-age tale, and I think the reason the song is getting so much air time is because the song resonates with so many people.
So if you catch me crying alone in my car, there is a 78 percent chance that I am listening to “7 Years.” And there is also a good chance the same song affects you in some way, too.

Morgan Rinckey is a third-year double-majoring in English and Communication.