In My Life, an interpretation

   

    This song, In My Life by The Beatles, has always had a special place in my heart. I remember discovering this song when I was around 14 years old, which I consider one of the most turbulent stages of my life. I was finding myself and my way from being a pre-teen to adolescence, in an environment that felt strange along with being surrounded by things that felt uncomfortable to me. Surprisingly, this song gave me comfort and serenity, I used to listen to this in the morning when I was walking to school, a place I considered living hell back then. When I was at that age, I was merely attracted to the melody and rhythm of the song. As I get older, I got more indulged in the meaning of the song and how the lyrics have a deeper connection to me and life. Through this writing, I'd like to share my interpretation of the song, and you'll see why I cherish this timeless masterpiece. 

There are places I'll remember

All my life, though some have changed

Some forever, not for better

Some have gone and some remain

All these places had their moments

With lovers and friends, I still can recall

Some are dead, and some are living

In my life, I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers

There is no one compares with you

And these memories lose their meaning

When I think of love as something new

Though I know I'll never lose affection

For people and things that went before

I know I'll often stop and think about them

In my life, I love you more

In my life, I love you more

To put it into place, this song is about the singer expressing his love for someone special. Rather than just blurting out "I love you" and says why he loves her, he expresses his profound feelings by comparing them to his past. In order to express his love, he first appreciates and acknowledges everything he has known and cherished in the past, which I find beautiful. By comparing and respecting his past and how even those embraced feelings can't surpass his love for his lover, just shows how strong his feelings are.  

I am currently in an age of still discovering myself and what I want to achieve, adulting basically. Although I still consider myself young, I have learned many things in the 24 years of living. Rereading through my old stories in this blog gave back so many memories,  I can clearly remember where I was, and what I was feeling, the moment I was writing the exact post. Many things have happened ever since the first posts were published, which made me think if I were to go back 10 years ago and meet myself, would my 10-year younger self be proud of the person I became today?

Growing up has been about gaining, losing, growing, failing, and learning. The places and people that I have come to know have shaped and contributed, even in the smallest way, to my present self. To be frank, there have been moments where I regretted the decision I took, however thinking back, those regretful decisions led to some unexpected turnouts. The decision which I thought was regretful, led me to meet amazing people and friends, brought me to new places, and gave me new experiences that might have been missed if I didn't take the chance. Simply put, I embrace all my past experiences, no matter how hard, shit*y, or challenging it might be.

As the line goes "Some have gone and some remain, All these places had their moments, With lovers and friends, I still can recall", I come to realize that change is something that can't be prevented. People grow, prosper, and bloom in their own respective way. The more you experience, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more your perspective widens. Hence, the experiences will eventually affect you and change you as a person, whether you realize it or not. Due to the dynamism of humans, it can take effect on friendships too. I guess that's part of growing up, you either grow with each other or outgrew each other. Sad as it may seem, I am thankful for the people who have come to my life, whether they have remained or not, as the line goes "Though I know I'll never lose affection, For people and things that went before"

Talking about life and things that have passed seems to not have an ending, as there are many things that can be learned from. Out of the things that have happened, one lesson that I have taken and cherish most is: trust the process. It's okay to be doubtful or regretful of our choices, who are we to make a prediction of what our future holds? In the midst of what seems to be a never-ending cycle of chasing things, be it school or work, try to take time to reflect on things you appreciate such as what and those who are around you, as the lyrics go "In my life, I've loved them all". 

Although the overall message of the song is expressing his love to his lover by comparing it to his past, I interpret it as no matter who you love or where you are in life, acknowledging and cherishing your past is one of the steps to fully accept yourself. Once you fully accept yourself, with all your stories, ups, and downs, your storm and sun, your bad and good days, you will be able to share your wholehearted love with another person to an extent where your present feelings are deeper than those we've embraced in the past. 

Time may pass, people may change, places may disappear, affections may vanish, but memories remain. That being said, let's all live a worthful life, so that in the future our present self is cherished by our somewhat-hopefully-more-advanced-and-experienced-self.