Maybe there’s nothing, only this moment

Spending so much time overthinking the past and worrying about the future is exhausting. I’m personally tired of thinking about everything except where I am. I lost count of how many relatives asked me, “So what’s your plan for after you graduate?” during the past Thanksgiving break, when honestly, I barely even have next week figured out.

There’s so much pressure on young people to have their whole life mapped out to a tee, and I really just want to practice living in the moment more. 2025 has moved so fast, and I’m looking to appreciate the present fleeting moments before I’m wrinkly, and wondering where the time went.  

I wanted to dedicate this blog post to appreciating right now, through the latest media I’ve been into, recent photos I’ve taken, and other things that have grounded me when there’s been too much noise.

Inspiration

This post was inspired by two things. First, the song I always mindlessly play on the guitar when I’m bored and get distracted. The song Where Am I? by Title Fight has this repeated lyric: “Maybe there’s nothing, only this moment,” and it’s honestly something I think a lot about when I’m too buried in my thoughts about the long future or the gone away past. It’s always been a reminder to me that what else matters but right now? Why should I be worried about anything except for the things I can control in this moment? Why am I concerning myself with the unwritten when I can be writing it right now?

The second thing that inspired this blog post was this recent photo I took of these fresh footprints in the snow. I liked how standalone they were, and after taking the photo, I thought more to myself about the alluring idea of quick snapshots and instances of our lives. I was standing right there in this specific spot in the snow, listening to the song I was listening to, feeling the emotions I was feeling, during this specific instance in the universe. It was a unique occurrence, it was mine, and I found that beautiful. I thought to myself, what did the snapshot of the person who created the footprint look like? Were they in a rush, or were they taking it easy?

Having a soundtrack to our lives

When I stop and think about the media I've been consuming this month, the music I've been listening to, books I've been reading, movies watched, etc, and combining with the photos I've taken, where I've been, I realize it depicts this chapter in my life without needing words. I will forever cherish every single chapter of my life and how it shapes me into who I am today.

Photos

I'm including many new photos from my camera roll all around this blog. Oddly enough, I've had a great obsession with taking photos of trees. It started in the fall with crisp, fiery colors, and then I became attracted to the barren winter branches, how they are so rigid yet also flow so naturally.

What I've been consuming

This whole semester, I’ve been listening to my usual intense, brooding hardcore music, like lots of Title Fight and Tigers Jaw. However, when I thought the cold weather would make my music taste even more rageful, I’ve been going back to the originals, listening to more soft rock artists like Faye Webster, and indie artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Turnover, and Alvvays. It's always been nice to somehow discover a new favorite song from an album you’ve always loved. Atlanta Millionaires Club by Faye Webster and Peripheral Vision by Turnover seriously have no skips. Here's my recent playlist of songs I was listening to while taking these photos:

I’m halfway through the book Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. It’s a beautifully written book, the imagery is so vivid, and Patroclus’ own struggles with anxiety and self doubt in the book remind me of a younger version of myself, making a story that hits hard.

Additionally, my very close friend and I have been playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess on the Wii. We have both been finding comfort in the old video games we grew up with. The silly characters, chunky graphics, and soundtrack are so nostalgic, and it's been nice to have an outlet that doesn't feel like it needs to be productive. I can go do it just for fun.

The last media I will discuss is my rewatch of all the Hunger Games movies. I've always like dystopians, and everything hits so much harder when watching as an adult. before it was all about the action, but now I think so much more about the emotional exhaustion from the characters. I've seen so many silly videos online about the new movie, and it's given me a bigger personal connection to the character Haymitch than I have ever had before.

Reflection

There's an extra song lyric that makes me reflect on everything I've been talking about. In Elliott Smith's song Can't Make A Sound, he ends with the repeating line "When you're a world within a world". I persoanlly sometimes live in my head a little too much, but I think it is amazingly complex how every human seriously has both their internal experiences, and their physical existence in life, kind of like two worlds in one. The concept kind of breaks my brain, but I must say it makes me really value and respect the people around me. My close friends, and even strangers are navigating their own life, and the quick snapshots of their life although fleeting, are intricate and they matter a lot.

I don't think we should always be worrying about what grand plan is laid out for ourselves. I really think that maybe there isn't that much to life except this instance we live in. Life passes by, time moves fast, I think we should just sit and enjoy the moment.

My cat Melanie

Thank you for reading my blog! Have a great winter break!

All photos taken by me

Caleb G / Industry Insider