I’ll Live
The first time I heard the song “I Lived” by One Republic I was nine years old. I immediately fell in love with it. Not for the lyrics that went right over my head but for the beat. For the melody. For the rhythm. For the bass. For the passion behind it. I could feel the passion through the music, even if I didn’t understand the words being sung. It got me excited and made me want to dance around my kitchen in the middle of the day. I remember doing just that with my friends after school in 4th grade and with my mom after a bad day of middle school. This song had the ability to make me forget about my worries for 3 minutes and 54 seconds. I’d play this song on repeat, addicted to the buildup to the chorus.
As I grew up, the song’s lyrics began to sink in and I came to love it even deeper for its anthem of living life to the fullest and embracing both the good and the bad that comes with it. It preaches going out into the world, experiencing everything, and having no regrets. The power behind those words is strong for someone like me, who believes life is about being everywhere you can, seeing every place possible, and meeting everyone throughout the journey. Each new destination has offered not only new insights but also a shift in perspective. Not to sound ignorant, but the way things are done in the United States are what I considered “the norm” for so much of my life, that I never stopped to consider the fact that things are done differently, often times even better, in other areas of the world. Just because I’ve only ever done it that way doesn’t mean it’s the right way. My interactions with people of all different backgrounds and cultures has helped to open my eyes to this.
My favorite concept from this song is that to grow you’ve got to take a leap of faith and step outside your comfort zone sometimes. Each jump I took became a stepping stone, guiding me through experiences that built me into who I am today. Looking back on the first solo trip I took in 2021, I recognize that that was a leap fueled by the very spirit of “I Lived”. I touched down in San Jose, Costa Rica on a plane filled entirely of strangers but the only feeling running through my veins was excited anticipation for what was to come. I quickly became close friends with many of the other kids on the trip and took weekend trips with them where we went on amazing adventures. Ziplining, white water rafting, and canyoning were some of my favorite adventures as each one offered a thrill that matched the exuberance of the song.
The experience of ziplining through the lush canopy and the wind rushing past me all while it was raining down hard on us, was not only exhilarating but a physical manifestation of freedom. Every time I was alone with my thoughts, gliding through the air, I was able to shed every doubt or fear I’ve ever had for just a few fleeting moments. White water rafting pushed me to trust both my instincts and my friends as we forged bonds through shared adrenaline and laughter. Canyoning taught me that resilience is one of the most useful tools. Navigating those rocky paths and rushing waters reflected the challenges we face and overcome in life with the help of our support systems.
My favorite verse in the song is without a doubt “I owned every second that this world could give. I saw so many places, the things that I did.” This is a reminder to me about the importance of cherishing every moment and taking the harder times in stride. It encapsulates the idea that being present and making the most of your time will allow you to embrace every experience to its fullest extent. During one of the scariest adventures of my life, this was the verse I came back to. I traveled to Switzerland in July of 2022 and was told we were going paragliding. Not knowing what this was, I brushed it off as something that would probably be kind of lame but after talking with one of my friends, she assured me it would be anything but. My group loaded up on the buses and began climbing high into the mountains of the Swiss Alps. The higher we got, the more my nerves began to get to me. I tried everything to take my mind off what was about to happen, although it was hard to when I didn’t know what to expect in the slightest. The bus finally stopped at an elevation of 10,800 feet. Only then I was told I was going to be running off the side of the mountain with a professional, catching air with a parachute that’d be strapped to us, and gliding down to the ground after doing a couple flips and tricks in the air of course. This terrified me to my very core. Not only am I afraid of heights but I couldn’t imagine having to put my trust and my life in the hands of a complete stranger. I was ready to back out and ride the bus back down the mountain when I thought back to this verse of “I Lived”. I thought about how I wanted to be able to say I pushed my fear aside and ran off the side of a mountain without another thought. I wanted to be able to say I “owned every second that this world could give” and lived my life without regrets. So, I did it. I ran off the side of the mountain.
Looking back now, I realize I’ve never felt that kind of bliss before or since this experience. The bliss from silence and beauty of nature and liberation. It was thrilling and addicting all at once. Now I chase this kind of adrenaline in my daily life without a moment of hesitation. I owe some of my favorite memories to One Republic and their incredible creation of a song.