It's a Wild World

"Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
It's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh, baby, baby, it's a wild world
and I'll always remember you like a child, girl"

-Cat Stevens, "Wild World"

As I was tearing through my desk this morning, frantically looking for my keys...and my watch... and my headphones (so sometimes I'm not quite so organized), I knocked over a towering stack of CDs. The stack of CDs has been sitting on my desk untouched since 2007 or so. No lie. Each and every time I rearranged, I had carefully transported the hoard of case-less scracthed and dusty CDs. With and iPod and an iPhone, I never really felt the need to spend hours sorting through them.

And this morning as they pinged around on the bare tile, I ignored my initial (read: lazy messy bum) thought to push them under my desk with a few swipes of the feet and deal with them later. Instead, I scooped up the stray CDs and threw them in my work tote, figuring I could attempt to spice up my work playlist.

Once in the car, I dug my hand deep into the tote and wound up with the "How to Deal" soundtrack. I thought once (okay, twice.) about throwing it back in and looking for a CD where I could actually remember the track listing. But once again, I ignored that and ....

HOLY NOSTALGIA, BATMAN!

a totally adorable version of a mommy and her bebe dancing to Wild World.

I bought the soundtrack the summer before I went to college. I was heading out on RV road trip with a friend and her parents. I had just had my first kiss days before with a boy who would ignore my calls and inevitably dump me the week I returned. And I spent the trip blasting track 4, Liz Phair's "Why Can't I?," on my discman. Yeah, I said discman.

And this morning as that track started up, I laughed aloud. It felt good to remember those days - good to remember the melodramatic mouthing the words in sync with Liz as I wondered how she could read the very words of my soul.

As track 4 segued into track 5, my trip down memory lane took a sudden turn. It was Beth Orton's version of the Cat Steven's classic, Wild World.

The first time I heard it, I was 17 - fresh out of high school and desperately afraid of what was to come - the change that was right around the corner. I remember being perched on the RV couch, meditating on the lyrics and nauseatingly following the yellow stripe on the asphalt as we drove home.

Today, I am 25. And if we're being honest, I'm a little bit scared of the changes that are in store for me this coming year. There are moments when I feel like I'm not strong enough or brave enough to handle the adult world. It's a subtle fear in the back of my mind that makes me wish I could see how everything works out. I effortlessly made it through the changes of college and beyond, but now I wonder how will I fare through year 25?

But maybe these feelings are a good thing.

Maybe fear keeps us on our toes?

Maybe it forces us to deal?

so tell me.

What's one CD/Song/Artist/Band that instantly brings you back? One that gets you thinking about whats to come?