"When we were young"

Remember when we were young, and certain things got us going? I mean really got you going. That buzz you used to get before a baseball or basketball game, which at the end of the day meant absolutely nothing, but at the time meant the world. It usually ended in near tears of joy, or tears of being a pissed off eight year old. That buzz you got before a summer day filled with bike rides, swimming for hours, or playing flashlight tag at night. The buzz that starts in your stomach as butterflies, and before you know it, that buzz is coming right up through your chest. The older you get it seems like the less and less you get this buzz.

Well that was Elementary School... The buzz was all over the place, dime a dozen, once or twice a day. Even on a miserable day when the cute girl next to you caught you picking your nose, or you got laughed at for stuttering during class reading... The buzz was still there and plentifull.

Middle School comes. The buzz is still there. You kiss your first girl at a park, or in an abandoned parking garage (Yeah I was that guy). You discover extreme sports (Skateboarding) and develop some independence, which gives you the buzz. You fall alot, bleed alot, and pay for lunch in quarters. The buzz is still there.

High School hits and things like alcohol and drugs are discovered by many. The buzz is found by many somewhere else, and causes confusion for many. The natural buzz is still there, but at times hard to find. The buzz comes back when you go to your first high school party. It leaves as quickly as it came when the kid from your homeroom throws up outside in a bush and then falls head first in. You laugh for a moment, and then realize throwing up is no buzz. Friday night football and basketball games become a big deal. There fun, but pressure is there. Lucky ones get recruited to play in college, others do not. Summers are spent by some traveling the country to play in front of onlooking college recruiters. You get that buzz again when suitors arrive at the gym before you even arrive... It is fun and the buzz is there! People want you, and dreams are becoming a reality, quickly.

College comes. You're friend the buzz is BACK! It is there, heavy, and different. New people come into your life, old people become distant, or leave entirely. In some cases, you experience a life changing event or two. One of them may even be tragic, something your not ready for. Something, anyone, is never ready for. You wonder if the buzz will ever come back.

College comes to an end, the buzz was found with thousands storming the court, finding a few special people. Your old pal the buzz doesn't come around quite as often though. Real world looms, expectations are at an all time high and you wonder if the buzz will ever show up again.... Once and a while you get a glimpse of it, but it is few and far. You go see Toy Story 3. A old man next to you cries at the end. Part of you wants to as well, but you're girlfriend and little brother are with you. You remember you're version of Woody and Buzz Light Year. The feeiling comes back and you find your toy or stuffed animal, (Mr. Stay Puft-Ghostbusters, the greatest stuffed animal ever) and get the buzz again.

Mom and Dad tell you that you're getting a car- Hello buzz! BUT car is used for real world things, grown up things. Paying for gas with quarters is nearly impossible, and frowned upon by the man at Mobil. Car means job, job means responsibility, responsibility means a long shot of the buzz. Car means bike rides and skateboards aren't really realistic anymore (people frown upon out of shape 23 year olds parading around town shirtless and causing havoc).

A high school senior writes your name as her "secret crush" in a memoribillia book. A buzz would have been there seven years ago. Now it is merely the last time you're name will be mentioned in a high school memory book-No buzz, none at all.

Finally, you look for the buzz everyday. You hope and search. You get it in hobbies and big boy dreams, sure it comes in small doses, but you can't complain, the fact that it is still there is all that matters. You search everday for it, while tackiling the grown up and real world responsibilities the best way you can.

Suggestion for today: Find your buzz, and go see Toy Story 3...My bet is you'll get your buzz back for a couple hours. Also check out Gaslight Anthems new album American Slang.