vienna waits for you.

i've recently re-discovered a favorite song of mine. vienna by the one and only billy joel. i am actually so happy to have not heard it for quite some time, because yesterday when i finally listened to it again- the emotions it brought were fresh. its's probably the worst thing in the world when you get sick of a "favorite song". especially one that is so special and sentimental.

i first heard the song in one of my favorite childhood movies, 13 Going on 30. the movie is about a girl who wants so incredibly to be older, wiser, prettier, and more successful. she wishes on pixie dust after being humiliated at her 13th birthday party, and wakes up the next day as a 30 year old version of herself with a hot bod, a dream apartment, a fabulous wardrobe, an athlete boyfriend, a dream job, and superstar friends. basically everything she ever dreamed of. long story short- she quickly discovers that this is not the life she wants. she got everything she ever wanted, but hurt people in the process including her childhood best friend, matt. the rest of the story is her navigating her new life, finding herself in the process, and realizing that all she ever wanted, really wasn't what she thought it would be.

now, though the song brings back MAJOR nostalgia, i think the lyrics are what really hit me. some of my favorite lines are, "slow down, you're doing fine you can't be everything you want to be before your time",  "you're so ahead of yourself that you forgot what you need", "Slow down, you crazy child and take the phone off the hook and disappear for awhile, it's all right, you can afford to lose a day or two", and then the famous, "when will you realize, vienna waits for you?"

i mean, clearly the lyrics speak for themselves, and i was really needing that reminder. in this season of my life, i have literally been running around like a chicken with its' head cut off. i think many of us feel that way from time to time. the feeling of needing to be older, wiser, and more successful is almost universal. we are so tunnel visioned on the destination, that we often miss out on the journey. we wear ourselves thin going and going and going and going because getting to that end result is so important, that by the time we finally get what we want- we either don't want it anymore, or we are too burnt out to enjoy it.

this song is just an awesome reminder that whatever "vienna" is to us, it will always be there. we need to slow down and enjoy life. yes, it is good to have goals and dreams and aspirations but i don't believe that God wants us stressing, struggling, and worrying this much about the future. be present where you are now. do what you can. enjoy the little daily things, and when life gets too crazy and you need to breathe, "take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while". 

i often forget this, and need to be reminded. life is too short. 

thanks billy, you get me every time.

"Slow down. Take a deep breath. What's the hurry? Why wear yourself out? Just what are you after anyway?" Jeremiah 2:25