Long as there are stars above you

While filling out one of those "Awards of 2007" surveys on Myspace, I surprised myself with a memory. The question asked for High Point of 2007. I scrolled through the past year in my mind. I automatically considered the moment I was offered my job, then discarded it as too easy. Though I was quite giddy. There had to be something else in there. I've had a pretty great year. There have been definite lows, but nothing compared to how fortunate I have been. I've been to Vegas twice, drove for 10,000 miles with Lily exploring the West, moved to a big city in a strange land, got a new roommate, got an internship, got a job, got an iPhone. First year as a college graduate, first year of complete financial independence. And then I found it. This moment that I experienced in March on The Road Trip. I hadn't thought about it in a while, but it was a real showstopper.

Lily and I spent the week of my birthday in Los Angeles. From there, we drove to San Francisco along Highway 1, a winding stretch that hugs the coastal cliffs like a sexy tattoo snaking up the side of a woman's torso. The drive took about 12 hours. It was simultaneously calming, invigorating, and frightening. We saw a herd of zebras, were nearly blown over by the winds of sea lions passing gas, and teased catastrophe when we thought we were going to be stuck in the mountains without any gas of our own. But there was one moment when we just had to pull over to the side of the road. It was so beautiful. We stood on the cliffs, overlooking the Pacific. The waves were crashing up hundreds of feet below and the sun was setting. The speakers from the car played The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows." With that repeating chorus, and those swelling waves, it was a perfect moment. We stood there silent, taking it all in. You see, not only was The Road Trip another adventure, it was a prolonged goodbye. A slow transition for Lily and I to cushion the blow. The reason I waited 5 months after graduation to move to Chicago. The only way it could have really been properly done.

God only knows what Id be without you
God only knows what Id be without you
God only knows
God only knows what Id be without you
God only knows what Id be without you
God only knows
God only knows what Id be without you
God only knows what Id be without you