Change

When the guys of NOFX wrote in their hyperpaced early So-Cal anthem, “Screaming for Change” they weren’t exactly referring to the variety that makes your pockets jingle jangle. No, it was a change that, no doubt called for some sort of vague shakeup to this displeasure called existence. Whether it was politically motivated or not at the time, is questionable, given the band’s late entry into political statements. They were always better at contributing fast paced anecdotes to a “punk rock” vault of urgently high-adrenaline infused fun.

But my guess is no one screams for change with a light heart. In fact the word scream implies the opposite. But what change can come is not always desirable. I can only assume that their band was then issuing a blanket statement that we are all screaming for change. 

Now we have someone on the verge of taking the highest office in the known universe and he has theoretically heard this message of an ’80s punk outfit from L.A. At least we can assume. And we can hope. And hope is another one of those vague terms that strikes me oddly. We all want to believe that it’s there. Unless of course we are nihilists, in which case, sit still and don’t do a thing and your dreams will flourish rapidly before your existentially charred eyes. 

But even in the lowest of lows of which I have been in of late, it’s amazing how quickly hope can be restored by a simple change in weather. The crisp blue sky and brown crunchy leaves stuck to my poodle’s curly coat as he trots up the steps of my front porch while I have my morning coffee. The cool wind that always whips through our valley and through the trees near these houses right off the lake, the waking at an early sleep-deprived hour with the feeling that you can conquer the world today. It all helps usher in the arrival of fall. Only usually, I was on campus. And I had a more attainable portal to channel my energy into. Out here it’s at once everything man and it all encompasses. 

But rise above we will. 

Time to find a new portal. With the economy on the verge of collapse, there may be more chance than ever to prepare for the coming change. Get ready to make the most of your abilities and be industrious, because you may have to pick up the slack for businesses who are not quite as optimistic. 

So hope, as I did when I picked up the guitar this morning and wrote a song on the spot was useful this morning. It felt fantastic. Putting words to a tune on the guitar again. Something to summarize how horrible of a time this has been in certain ways. That alone got my day going. Well that and a damn good cup of coffee. 

This hope, if it keeps plugging along could turn into some good change. I don’t like the string of recent change that has been handed to me. But I was screaming for it. We’re mostly all, always screaming for it. Whether we know it or not. What I got in the form of change was challenge after challenge. A mother potentially near death, being laid off from a job that I did well, moving back home to play parent. All this change can pack a punch from which you don’t want to even stay on the mat. And don’t get me started on the love street I walked down until I saw it was a one way and had to turn around and hit the main again. We’re not going there today. We’re sticking to the boardwalk and watching the new tides. They’re always new. It’s what’s so great about them, unabashedly too. And as Milo and Otis have espoused their philosophy:

“We’re goin for a walk outside today, gonna see what we can find today…”

Okay, maybe the lyrical stylings of Mr. Greg Graffin from Bad Religion is best suited for this occasion: 

“I’m going for a walk. Not the after-dinner kind. I’m gonna use my hands. And I’m gonna use my mind.”

So go for a damn walk and then make some of your own hope for change. It’s the way I feel today. Forget the ruts you recently had run over. They’re behind you now. It’s time to go find that change you’ve been screaming for.