Music for your mental health – Where the Road Goes
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. In about a week, I’ll pack up the car and drive up to Ohio for a few weeks. Part of this trip is work – the law firm I work for remotely is in Ohio, and part is personal. I have many friends and family from the 20 years I spent in Ohio, and my wife and her friend wanted to see the Foo Fighters in Cincinnati and spend a weekend in Columbus.
As I was planning out things to do after they head back home, I noticed that another band was playing a small venue in Columbus, a band I hadn’t given much thought to in a few years, but with an inexpensive ticket just a few blocks from the office, I figured why not take in an Old97’s show.
Of course, as anyone connected to the internet would, I decided to spend some time on Apple Music, refreshing my memory of their song catalog, when I discovered they had released a new album in the spring.
That’s when I discovered the song Where the Road Goes.
The lyrics hit me hard the very first time I heard the chorus:
Oh you could have died that day
Back when you thought none of this was worth it
When you thought everything was broken
Oh you didn’t know yet
Someday you’d watch this big green river flow
Who knows where the road goes
The words reminded me so much of a time in my life when I could have died, and I thought none of this was worth it. It also reminded me of why I didn’t – my curiosity. My desire to see what happens and “where the road goes” may have been the only thing that kept me alive back then. I didn’t have much hope to hold on to, but I knew enough to know that I didn’t have all the answers and couldn’t tell the future. Why not see what happens tomorrow and the day after that?
Eventually, I found some lovely things mentioned in the song—people, places, and things I love.
You might, too, if you are willing to see what happens.
What song(s) speak to your mental health struggles and help you feel seen?
