How can I trek through the Arkansas countryside on horseback alone if I don’t have any company? I mean I love the pinewoods and the rolling hills and the great open prairies, but how am I ever going to fall asleep at night? Or wake up in the morning for that matter? Rooster’s got an eye patch that looks like a square of stove pipe and I wonder what’s behind it. There’s an abandoned treehouse down by the river and there’s not much left of it now except for a few rotten boards propped up in the crotch of two old limbs, but it was once a palace and I often think about what life would’ve been like had I seen its glory days. What would I have turned out like? The cattails are taller than they used to be and the old gravel road ends abruptly at the lake. It’s an interesting thought but I’m too tired and dizzy to think about it now. There’s a crow on the fence in the bean field and it’s watching me move from the corner of its eye. It made me cry when Violet got carried away but that was before Cowslip showed up and the field was suddenly covered with blood.
I always wonder who worked these fields and how many beautiful stories were left untold and thus forgotten in the void of time. It’s rather a world within the world, untouched it seems, by the handprint of fashion and popularity, but honestly, I prefer things that way. I crave for the countryside, unspoiled, uncontaminated by consumerism and tourism and humanity in general. There’s a raw innocent purity amongst the trees, I can feel it. Not like the big city — dirty and noisy and full of vile immorality. Should I have more time on my hands these days, I might settle down by the sea someday. I’d crank out the bedroom window, heavy on its old hinges, and let the soothing sound of water against the sandy banks lull me to sleep. Somehow I imagine falling asleep wouldn’t be as tough, and for an insomniac, that’s a delightful notion. Better still, in a boat. Not a fancy yacht or a cruiser, just an old fishing boat or something to explore sand bars and tiny island chains with. My collection of sand dollars could always use another addition and during such afternoon excursions that slowly burn into dusk and then midnight, I might bring a fuzzy blanket along and settle down onto the floorboards between the seats and get a good glimpse of the starry sky. In goes the anchor and it’s suddenly magical. I could spend forever out here, alive, alone, content and happy.
But that’s a fantasy more or less. Right now there’s a closet full of people staring at me, watching me type out letters that form words which read off a screen they cannot see from where they are. I wonder if they know I’m talking about them. They are the ghosts that lived here long before any of us chose to call it home. I don’t want to look in their direction but the more I try to appear casual, the more I’ll bet they can tell I’m pretending. They’re not scary or eerie or alarming, they’re just sad. I want to help them.
Sometimes I get sad after I watch something melancholy and it’s strange how that emotion doesn’t leave you immediately the way laughter or some other intake of information tends to do. Sadness stays with you like a predator shark locked on a sunfish. It’s hard to shake it and sometimes it seems the more you attempt to avoid it, hide from it, you might successfully call off the chase for a bit but then the second you see something or hear something or whatever, you’re RIGHT BACK AT IT AGAIN. So annoying.
There’s a little country pond across the gravel road and Dad used to tell me snapping turtles lived at the bottom. He said he caught one the size of a trash can lid once and I believe him. I think about that place all the time, whenever I wanna disappear from RIGHT NOW and escape to somewhere peaceful and quiet — somewhere away from the things of man. I dislike big cities because I detest feeling like a helpless consumer who can’t do anything himself. You have to pay to go anywhere or do anything and that gets old really fast to me. No independence, too many people, so much noise, so much sad corruption. Above all else I crave for innocence and purity and even though it’s rarely around, it’s indeed right in front of my eyes and the trick is to see it. So what am I waiting for? It’s time to stop waiting. Because loving the world is the same as hating God. The equation is obvious. It’s time to change.
It’s the same way for my living room. I’m not sure if I should even be writing about it here and now, because of the reminders my mind will associate with that room… bittersweet, but more bitter than sweet. Let’s call it what it is.
I can feel the tubes burning, glowing orange in their rows. It’s louder in here but it’s a good loud, the kind you can feel in your chest, the kind that moves emotion, kindles imagination and maybe even pricks a stinging trickle of joyful tears. The rails on all sides make this square feel like the Giant Tortoise yard at Reptile Gardens in Rapid City, South Dakota but it’s not the kind of place you should feel uncomfortable about, it just is what it is. The hard work is done and there’s something about the Black Hills that soothes the mind. Dinosaur Park perched over the skyline. I just like thinking about it.
And so men and women sit on slouched couches pressed against every wall in the room and the ceiling lights are never that good but that doesn’t matter because we’re merely visitors and don’t intend to stay until shortly after dark. My voice always seems to split down the middle like a hairline fracture and I remember hearing a pretty girl whisper in my ear, “Aw, listen to your tired little voice!”, but that was a long time ago and I’d rather forget it. Friends enter and leave the room all the time but that’s what I like about it, it’s bustling with life but it’s busy in a good way. I’ve never been into parties or receptions or functions or ANY social affairs AT ALL for that matter, but there’s something different about these hot summer nights. There’s a kind of camaraderie, a mutual trust among people who spend a lot of time together — and I’ve grown fond of that because it feels right and good and pure and honest. Unlike a strange wedding reception I obviously don’t belong at, I feel like I’m supposed to be here, and that’s a comforting thing.
Curtains are closing by themselves now. Lights are switching off, tires are singing their nightly songs and my eyelids are filled to the brim with liquid iron. I met a lot of nice people tonight and it was lovely because this was my first time in the mountains and I wasn’t under the weather. Gone now are the sad sounds of the disappointed city, so full of unhappy people, the watchman’s wristwatch, the tired taxi crawl, the sirens that make me wince with their sharp echoes that never seem to land. Here now are the sounds of slumber and stillness and comfort and whimsy and dreams and dust and reverie.
I could never in my wildest dreams have imagined the summer weather in New York. A pretty girl in a white dress told me she thought I was cute and I blushed all the way home.
P-pea-O-pea-D
:)
Adam, this is beautiful!
Keep writing Adam. Keep writing.
I feel from reading this, that you know me, and I know you, in ways and emotions that a lot of people just never feel. God bless you, Adam.
Reading that first paragraph made me feel like I was on a cloud. It flows so poetically perfect on each syllable.
Great post my friend. You have a beautiful way with words.
Just gonna say that the photography is beautiful, especially that last one.
And those descriptions are ridiculously vivid. It’s like the Real World all over again.
I have no idea where you’re coming from with all this, but for some reason it feels… warm and honest and almost even nostalgic.
There’s something comforting about your words. Thank you.
Beautiful. “Loving the world is the same as hating God. The equation is obvious. It’s time to change.” Amen! Yay:D I love your writing. Thanks for sharing. Sleep well! I know I will. :) God bless you.
I love reading your blog. The things you wrote are very calming and imaginative. Keep it up :)
That is so beautiful. I feel as if you and I are alike in that way, looking for the innocence in life, rather then focusing on what culture screams in our faces everyday. To have him shut his mouth for a while in the beauty of Gods creation is a marvelous occasion.
I love how you allow the reader know you. Let him peek into your brain, and thoughts for an insant and then quisk away. Keep writing, your so inspiring.
Hugs, love and smiles,
Brooke
These sentences apply to me so much. I know I already quoted the last half, but the first half is true and beautiful: “Above all else I crave for innocence and purity and even though it’s rarely around, it’s indeed right in front of my eyes and the trick is to see it. So what am I waiting for? It’s time to stop waiting. Because loving the world is the same as hating God. The equation is obvious. It’s time to change.”
Love your writing and the imagery you use! You have quite a talent.
I really don’t understand how you can be so multi-talented. It confuses me to the highest degree. If you ever stop singing (Which is highly inadvisable) have you considered a career as a novelist?
Amazing blog post as always, Adam.
Blushing all the way home, eh? Haha. :)
Am too an introvert, Adam!
“it’s time to change.” <– agree :)
Adam, when are you going to write a book? You are too beautiful of a writer not to!
Adam, this is too beautiful! <3
It’s fascinating to see where your mind takes you when you want to escape, especially when it sounds so much like the place my mind runs to.
I am blessed to live in the farthest reaches of southern Denver, Colorado, but still be right on the cusp of the countryside. Ever since I moved into this house, I’ve had this constantly reoccurring day dream whenever I feel like escaping from somewhere. I always imagine flinging open my squeaky front door and sprinting across the weathered planks of my front porch. From there I head down to the barn that my painted horse calls home. With nothing more then a bridle on her head I vault on to her back and we burst into a gallop as we tear away from the white fence that has held us in for so long. The anticipation builds as we displace the gravel on my driveway and take a sharp turn on to the dirt road that leads to the small hills that rise behind the house. In one flying leap, we clear the tangled barbedwire fence that had, until this moment, stood as the impassable end of the city limits, and marked the beginning of the untainted wilderness. With our bonds officially broken, we begin a wild, euphoric gallop through the golden buffalo grass. With the boundaries of the city now vanishing behind in the dust of my horse’s hooves, we take to the deer trails that snake through the scrub oak. As morning turns to afternoon, and afternoon to dusk we fallow the abandoned railroad tracks deeper into the plains, and farther away from the light pollution and asphalt.
When finally the light of the stars blink above us, we stop; not because we are tired, but because we have finally found someplace safe. Someplace where we can be close to God without the constant shouts of people, ringing of phones, or the temptations of sin that always come with a large, sleepless city. At this point I find myself unable to do anything but stare at the milky way and the singing stars that occupy it and think ‘why could’t I have found this place sooner?’
So now you’re probably wondering why I even shared this long- winded fairytale with you in the first place. Lol I wanted to share it because I believe there are two kinds of things that you can love on this earth: the things God has created and the things man has created. I believe there is nothing wrong with longing for the plains, the trees, crashing waves or turtle ponds. Longing for those things is longing for what God has created, and wanting to be closer to the things that God proclaimed to be so good. It’s when you start longing and craving for the works of man alone when the problem arises. As a fellow follower in Christ, I believe when we dream of taking to the countryside on horseback, we are unknowingly dreaming of coming closer to Jesus and all he has planned for our futures.
So to end this ridiculously long comment, I say never stop dreaming of the countryside you long to visit because I believe God has a reason for your imagination taking you there. :)
(and sorry for any typos that may be up there. My iPhone refuses to scroll back and let me edit. Lol)
I love your imagery! I see sweet imaginings, mixed with bitter-sweet memories, and the things you would like to believe. I have to wonder where you wrote this? Did you write it on those long hours on the bus, with the countryside rolling with you? In the middle of the night when you can’t sleep? When you were breathless after a dream? Waiting for your Ambien to kick in? After one on one time with your Bible? I have to wonder…….
We will all be praying for you as you tour, and go to places I will only dream about.
Forever your friend.
My dad loves the fisherman’s life so I use to go out on the boat a lot as a kid. We went camping out on the boat quite a few times. I remember laying there with the boat rocking gently and the starry sky above me and the warm salty sea breeze in the air. It was so comforting, yet I never got any sleep on those trips. For that reason I could say I’ve hated every camping trip I’ve been on, but somehow I wish I could go back (with a large can of bug repelant mind you).
Another time we went camping on the beach and there was these beautiful glowing things in the water. I don’t know what they were but they looked like underwater fireflies. If I could have, I would have just slept in the water, but being dragged out into the deep dark unknown was just a little too frightening. I’ve forgotten how much I’ve missed those days…
A midst in my non-insomatic creativity I feel so dull lately. But I come and read this and God only knows how much more alive I feel. The way you put words opens up another world. It’s awestriking. Thanks for the creative hope! It will tried to be put to good use! Don’t lose your way!
Its definitely easier to find God among the trees and the grass and the animals than in a rathole they call a city.
I have a thousand piece cricket orchestra playing me a lullaby every night. Im the luckiest person alive.
Ai
I’d like to talk about how beautiful your blog entries are and how incredible and inspiring you are but all that has already been said and mentioned in the comments. All I can say is that you are someone i can truly relate to in this world where no one seems to really understand me and you remind me that i’m not alone. You always seem to cheer me up and i hope to someday meet someone like you.
Thankyou Adam Young
for helping me get through life and enjoy it too.
…reading your blog every tuesday never fails to brighten my day…like you i prefer the simple and quiet life of the countryside…or the tranquil view of the sunset by the beach…Adam…please write a book…your flower of words and amazing vividness of the fantasy (or reality) that you describe keeps us hook up, as if we were with you as you experience it…i’m loving every moment…feels like i’m alice in your wonderland…i’m soo drawn to you… :¤
The last sentence makes me fantasize about Taylor Swift!btw,listening to your music and reading your blog brings me to heaven . thank you alot,Adam!!!You’re very sweet ♥♥♥
Like you, and a lot of people, I can’t stand cities either. Nature is my home. I LIKE CAVES. I also like blogs. I want to know, do you read your blog comments? And are you freaked out by your fans? Because I certainly am. They’re lovely and all but I guess I’m just freaked out by anyone who likes someone loads even though they may never have ever met them.
Its really hard to be unique among these comments because we are all really thinking the same thing.
You’re inspiring.
Á bientot! Hopefully
It amazes me how you write like this. You have a gift.
It *is* rather difficult to seek out purity in a world that is so evil. But, like you said, innocence truly is all around us, we just have to look for it, and want to see it. “Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure.” Titus 1:15
Anyways, I hope you’re having a blast on tour! Your show in Atlanta was phenomenal. Thanks for brightening my day with your music. :) God bless!
I used to live in a small town by the ocean. You could see it from the living room. I only had to walk two blocks and I was on the beach. And if I walked a bit more to the south, I entered the protected area, full of sandunes. I used to go there everyday, talking so long walks that I could almost reach the next town. The most beautiful moment was the sunset… I miss that place so much, I cried my eyes out when I had to leave… But I have faith and I know that one day I will return….
Another beautiful post! While reading this, my sisters started talking to me, well, they said they did. I didn’t hear it, so now they decided on their own to eat pizza tonight. But I don’t care.
When reading this, I was floating away slowly, I floated to the other side of the world, were I landed and followed you in the story. Now I’m back again. Not with the feeling of floating, but just suddenly. Although I don’t like to be back again, I feel great. And it’s all because of your story.
Thank you!
Absolutely beautiful, as always. :)
Oddly, this reminds me of a little town by Lake Erie that we are headed up to today. It’s very cool that you posted this today :)
Its an absolutely BEAUTIFUL idea Adam,but you lost me here. I’m not too bright and your emotional stuff dumbfounds me. Give a few hours and I come up with something.
I understand your detest for the big city though,my mom’s the same way.
If I was older and we could get married,I’d want you to come live out here in Lawrence Kansas with me. I have the biggest animal filled backyard ever. Bats,bees,birds,raccoons,cats,woodchucks,woodpeckers you name it.
and,I’m awfully sorry about Ann Marie still. She was a pretty sight,but you’ll find another.
If you stay away from Taylor Swift and look for a REAL girl,you’ll be hitched soon enough.
Much Love
Lady Airplane
This is beautiful. Thank you. :)
reading this post is like being inside your head. I wish I could’ve read this the moment you were writing it.
Take care, my friend, and keep safe while you’re traveling.
Weirdest thing ever. But, two nights ago I had a dream about Owl City’s lead singer…ahem…Adam Young, *COUGH!*
He had written on his blog…er, Owl City’s blog about the time that he was molested by a forty-something year old man/monster. I was scared and crying and could hardly believe it. In fact, I hardly had the guts to read the whole long thing, which was horrible I assumed, because I didn’t read it all. But, the part that I did went something along the lines of this:
“And then he made me learn two ballerina songs that I didn’t want to learn.”
! I have crazy dreams sometimes, ridiculous too.
*Me to myself*; “I can’t believe you just dreamed that stealing someone and teaching them balleRINA songs is molesting!?”
Great post. Lovin’ it.
Adam,
I never thought in my wildest dreams that reading some one’s thoughts would plunge me deeper into my own, but yours have. And for this, I thank you. You know how to put your thoughts, dreams, wishes, ans realities into stories that turn into some kind of fairytail dream of my own. I love it! It’s as simple as that, again I say thanks.
God bless you and keep up the inspiration,
Alyssa Jaide Edora Bragg(~:
ADAM YOU ARE ADORABLE.
Keepppp it upppp!:)
and i love your “if you love the world, your hating God” statement. Its soooo true!:) God’s useing you to do fantastic things!:)
Prayen For Ya, Always Yourse
CarrieLynn
Oh Adam, do you read the comments we so hopefully leave for you? I hope you do, because that would make me ever so happy. The pretty girl was right, you are immensely cute. But I’m not talking about the physical (not to say that you aren’t a handsome fellow, because you are) so much as I am the emotional/spiritual. If there were more guys like you out in this big world, it wouldn’t be such a bad place. You are so spiritually mature and in touch with your emotions (but not in a girly way, but in an awesome, truthful sort of way) and it make every girl who reads this heart melt. I hope we do the same for you with our always encouraging comments.
With much love,
Jordynn
Wow, just wow! Amazing. To delve into your mind and your chaotic thoughts just blows me away. I have just recently found the blog and am now caught up with the last 2 years and thoroughly entranced nee: wonderstruck by your writing. You are a supremely talented and gifted man. Your Godliness has inspired me to learn more and draw closer to our divine maker. Thank you for that. Thank you for sharing your talents to an otherwise crazy, mixed up world. Know there is Hope, Love and Peace from our Father raining down on us. If you read this, I have many questions for you. I assume you can see emails, if you can/would email me? God Bless and God Speed on your tour.
I fully agree with Jordynn. You are an incredible guy. I hope whoever i marry is as mature in his faith as you. God has definitely blessed you. I wish you would write a book, I’d never be able to put it down. Keep up the incredibleness! Love you!
Worth quoting as usual:
http://anna-rochelle.tumblr.com/
:)
you have such a pure and honest heart my dear Adam.
the pretty girl in the white dress was right, you’re adorable…in everything you do.
as for the open countryside, untouched by the horrid city, i couldnt agree more. theres nothing more peaceful(besides being on a boat in the ocean stargazing) than listening to the serenity of the fields.
you’re a blessing, thank you :)
With Love,
Ariel
This is perfect. To live in the fresh air, instead of the harsh smells of gasoline and cigarette smoke. To sit in a wheat field and write while everyone else is busy driving towards a never ending destination. I found a place. In Arkansas actually. When you mentioned the poor ( left out of your tour) state, I jumped six feet in the air. I thought you were here. I thought I could see you. Don’t tease me like that…
I spent a week in the city a couple weeks ago and everyday I ached to just run to some place far away where there was no other people. Everywhere I went SOMEONE was there. I was never alone…Most of the people there had such a twisted view of life and what they thought was being right and mature. I live in the country, but I can still hear cars and dogs barking from my neighbors. I would love to just go live somewhere that no one had ever seen before…..a place that has never been touched by the human hand because even in the country the earth has been landscaped to make it look “better”. I love just the natural earth the way it is. That’s the way God made it and that’s the way He meant it to be.
I can’t begin to completely decipher everything that you wrote because it seems very personal, but it was beautiful. I have never met you, but from everything that you say in your blogs I know that you would probably be able to almost completely understand me and what I stand for and what I believe and how I think. I would love to meet you someday. I went to one of your concerts, but you didn’t come out afterwards. That was still the best night of my life though. I was so excited and I never thought the concert would start and I would actually see you. When it did I started crying because there were so many emotions inside of me wanting to break out. It was amazing and so is your music. Everything about it is gorgeous. From every little detail in the music to every word. No one can write music like you, Adam.
Thank you so much for being a shining light for God in this dark world. I truly admire you a lot for giving God the glory for everything. You honor Him so much and He has blessed you with so much. And remember, HE will come back soon, very soon and we will leave this corrupt world FOREVER.
Oh, and the pretty girl in the white dress was absolutely right. You are VERY cute, both inside and out.
There’s something so beautiful and personal about your woolgatherings. :)
I love to read your blogs, because they make me feel so at home! They make me feel like it’s okay to dream these sorts of stories, because now I know that I’m not the only one to do it. :)
You’re truly a wonder, Adam Young. :)
Keep on serving God the way you are now, and please… Please do keep on writing this way. :D It’s a ray of light in a dark world. :)
Your sister in Christ,
HP
Your wrirtings can be like dreams when you write them a certain way that I haven’t figured out yet. I wish I had the right word, but dreamy doesn’t fit right … your writings are even calmer than “dreamy.” It’s enjoyable to read, even if I don’t know who Rooster is or why he has an eyepatch.
You mentioned Reptile Gardens! I love that place!
God bless you, Mr. Young!
Absolutely dreamy post, Adam. And I loved the pictures. ^_^
(I guess there was some kind of an error there since my reply wasn’t published. Oh well.)
To Katie&Serena: I can absolutely transfer myself mentally into those inspiring places that you describe! I wish I had a paint horse with which I could escape to the mountains when my heart caves in because of all the weight of my thoughts – even though there really isn’t anything here I could escape to.
I live in a city and, in fact, I would love to move into a bigger one in the future, but there’s no underrestimating the enchantment of te countryside. My best friend for 11 years will never leave the countryside and I am happy to know I can visit her whenever I want to. Magic moments aren’t found when searching, they’re found by accident, and then you just find yourself lying on your back in a pile of snow and staring at the skiy and realizing how heartbreakingly beautiful life really is. Beauty makes me want to cry.
(To end with: I REALLY hate to advertise my humble little blog here,a fter such a phenomenal and resplendid post like this has been, but I figured that if there are people here that really like to read this kind of dreamy stuff, maybe my blog would inspire some of you as well. Please go and even take a look! So: http://realityversusreverie.blogspot.com/)
Not everything in cities is bad. I love the country as much as anyone but you have to be able to look for the good amongst the bad. I swore I would never go to college near New York City. I had grown up in a small town in western, upstate New York state and we had definite notions about the terribleness of NYC.
Well, the Lord had other ideas (even though I didn’t know Him yet, He knew me and the plan He had for me) because the college I attended was in Hoboken, NJ right across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Crazy, huh?
But if I hadn’t allowed myself to be open to the opportunity of a college in an area I thought I disliked, I would never have met the love of my life. This October we will have been married 24 years.
Adam, keep your mind open. I can see you have changed tremendously the last few years and have really grown. You know as well as I do that the Lord asks us to walk certain roads and do certain things for very good reasons. Often, we will fight it because it seems so contrary to our nature or what we want for ourselves. Yes, be IN this world and not OF it but look for the good and pray for the broken.
As much as we like your innocence, the speed with which you reject everything that is ‘dirty’ or ‘unclean’ is unsettling. The world is what it is, and your image of God is as far removed from that world that to compare the two would seem quite the juxtaposition. It makes sense that your equation added up to how it did.
But the world is tangible. If you want to change it, do the work that needs to be done. Not the singing, or the preaching, but the real cleaning that needs doing. Talk to people. Volunteer in community centers. But MOST importantly, encourage others to do the same. THAT’s how we change the world, Adam. Not with prayer, but with action. I’m sure the world will appreciate seeing you with a dustpan a lot more than everyone simply praying for one.
Goodwill only goes so far. Do us all a favour and lend a hand. :)
You are talking about Taylor Swift in the last paragraph.(I think!!!) CUTEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! I love you both so MUCH!!1 <3 XOXOXOX
Adam, this is so great. You’ve mirrored my mind, and all its desires of solitude, purity and innocence. You really know how to put these things into words, brother.
God bless you, and once again, thank you so, so very much,
- Joel
Dear Adam,
This post was beautiful! You have such a vivid imagination that makes me feel like I’m there with you, wherever you may be. I absolutely loved reading this, and I agree so much about your statement about how loving the world is hating God and how you need to change because that’s how I feel, too. I also identify with the whole melancholy thing, I always get that feeling, whether it’s from a movie or seeing my favorite artist and realizing just how different our two worlds are. In August I will be going to a little “town” (it’s not even really a town-it’s too small!) called Sonoraville in Georgia, and I plan to relax and enjoy the perks of living in the gorgeous countryside versus suburban areas like here. It will be a great respite from the majority of humanity. Man am I looking forward to it. May God continue to bless you, and I will continue praying for you.
Love,
Madeline
P.S. Those pictures are absolutely lovely, I love the contrast in the second one between the decrepit building and light pole and the living plant. (A little like “Plant Life,” I suppose?). I also adore the last picture and the way the winding path drifts into a hidden destination hidden by all that beautiful, green foliage. Breathtaking.
This sounds like an excerpt from a novel :) very good writing indeed.
While I don’t have a emnity for cities, I admit, I don’t care much for them. I went with my family down to L.A a week ago to drop my Europe-bound sister off at LAX. It’s really crowded, busy, and a bit dirty. Not to mention the DISGUSTING amount of pollution that likes to mask the moutains and the ocean from our view. So whenever I have my chance to escape from the urban areas to go see forests, mountains, green grass, hills, or remote beaches, I’m in my happy place. Fortunately, I live south of a little mountain range that sits in the middle of the Central Valley here in California. I also don’t have to go too far to see God’s carefully-made creation. So, to put this ramble in a sentence, I am one blessed girl :)
I noticed that you released Lonely Lullaby on iTunes. The way it was composed was so beautifully done :) But, I’ll be honest; I hope you won’t dwell too much on your past. I don’t wanna sound heartless, but feeling remorseful isn’t gonna help you :( besides, God has already used you in so many wonderful ways, and He’s not even done yet! Look forward to what the future has. The woman of your dreams should be there :)
I shall stop rambling now. Take care and God bless! :D
That was beautiful. It reminds me of that thing you typed at the hospital, what was that, like 2 or 3 months ago? You really should write a book. I would totally read it. Like a fiction story. You have an amazing imagination.
Only…
“loving the world is the same as hating god”? That doesn’t sound like you at all. You LOVE life. And if you believe that god created the world, why should you hate it?
I wonder what sparked this…
Wow, this just begs to be published. Amazing, as always! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with the rest of us, Adam! :)
I swear you can read my mind, Adam. For all of my life I’ve wanted to live out in the country, where there is more nature, more quiet, and fewer people. I used to play outside all the time until I became too conscious of all the nosy people and their prying eyes watching me. “No independence, too many people, so much noise, so much sad corruption,” you wrote. That’s spot on.
Thankfully, a good friend of mine recently introduced me to a lovely hidden park within walking distance of my house where I can go anytime to get away and read for a while. <3 May God bless her, and you too! (Even though I can tell from your blog and your music that He already has, immensely. <3)
Every time I read your blog, I’m brought to tears.
But in a good way. :)
One word: wonderstruck.
Never has a blog made me smile so much. Don’t ever stop writing. It seems to bring you happiness, taking thousands of people reading it with you as well:D
@Jenn
I TOTALLY agree with you!! Very nice subject.. I stayed the weekend in the mountains and felt feelings similar to the feelings and thoughts described here, And I had SO much fun. I was surrounded by trees, Hummingbirds, Foxes, Deer, and all in all NATURE. AWESOME!!
Every time I read this blog, I have the same thought of, “Man, if we had somehow grown up together, we would be the best of friends!”
Reminds me of beautiful Tennessee! Your case for nature versus man-made works resemble Tolkein and C.S. Lewis, specifically Lewis’ poem “The Future of Forestry”. Anyway, it’s beautiful!
Ugh just marry me already ;)
Aww Adam…. How I do wish I was your best friend…. <3 Me and you are so common but not… It's hard to explain but I just wish we were friends. Because loving the world is the same as hating God. This quote touched me. Although it may seem like dude that's harsh, it I didn't take it that way at all. I know exactly what you mean and everyone should know that. I didn't quite understand what all of this said or what it was about that's kinda why I wish we were friends. I saw you in Seattle and I wanted to give you a letter but I didn't get to meet you. :( Btw I wish I was the cute girl in the white dress telling you that you are cute. Cuz you are! Simply adorable just the way God made you! I love you sooo much and so does Jesus! I doubt that you will see this but if you do you should email me!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3
I wish I could bring you the light that your spirit wants and needs. I think there is somethign soothing abotu the country side. You turn more to nature, God’s creation, and less to worldy themes and posessions. I hope you find what you need.
please, don’t ever stop writing and creating music to express your thoughts, hopes, dreams, fears, etc…because your thoughts are beautiful and what you have to say stuns me. if only everyone could be so gracefully expressive. don’t ever change…you probably hear that more than i could ever conceive, but honestly…don’t. because you are a beautiful person. i hope that God continues blessing you as he has.
all the best, your friend, Kate.
Hi, brother! That was encouraging!
Time heals. Just let go and let God.
I used to feel sorry for myself, like I was an orphan, alone and lonely. Now when it hits me, I will think of the truth: I am a child of God. I have a heavenly father; and I have Jesus as my brother and my best friend; and I have the Holy Spirit who empowers me to do God’s will.
I will continue to pray for you.
Jesus loves you, brother! We love you, too.
Hebrews 13:5b. John 8:32. Jeremiah 29:11. Proverbs 3:5
Adam, I really enjoy reading your blogs! It really makes my day when I slowly open up my beaten up black laptop to find that you have written another article on your blog! While I was reading this I found a reference to a lot of your songs in this article. For instance, “a crow on the fence in the bean field” reminded me of Honey and the Bee and “It made me cry when Violet” made me think of Shy Violet. Also “dreams and dust” prompted me to sing Dreams Don’t Turn to Dust and I needed to listen to Captains and Cruise Ships when I read “tiny island chains.” You are a beautiful writer and I hope you will always continue to write because I will always continue to read. I hope that you will read my reply although I guess I will never really know if you do.
Forever entranced, Isabella
Dear Adam and everyone else,
Looked up “woolgathering” because I really didn’t know what it meant, and found a new favorite word! Here are the definitions for any of you who don’t know what it means! (I hope I’m not the only one!)
wool·gath·er·ing
[wool-gath-er-ing]
–noun
1.
indulgence in idle fancies and in daydreaming; absentmindedness: His woolgathering was a handicap in school.
2.
gathering of the tufts of wool shed by sheep and caught on bushes.
(Just thought I’d include the second one in case any of you didn’t get the literal definition.) :)
-Madeline
Adam, this is honestly beautiful… You have such a way with words and phrases that I admire so much, in both your writing and your music! Your topics are always heartening, inspiring, and pure, something so seldom seen in our young generation. And “Woolgathering” has to be one of my favorites so far. Personally, as a girl from busy St. Pete, FL, I can’t help but also crave for stillness, quiet, and purity. The ocean is big part of me, having grown up on it, and the peace that comes from the water at night is the closest thing I can get to this helpless craving. What saddens me to no end is the absence of stars here, the cities’ lights outshining all of them.
But sometimes I can step outside, stare up at the moon and clouds, and let one of your songs start lilting around in my head. And if I squint my dreamy eyes just right, I can see more stars than I could ever imagine.
Ahhh Taylor Swift…. One day you’ll get her fall softly in love and get married but until then good luck.
I’m not a fangirl, I promise…but this is one of the best things I’ve read in a long, long, time. Adam, if you haven’t already, read some Anne Dillard…your writing reminds me of her style, and she’ll rock your socks, guaranteed..it’s the kind of writing where it only starts as a description of something simple, but ends up lifting us up to see God in a way we haven’t before. I know we’re total strangers, but I’d to say just this once, “well done, friend, well done”
P.S: I hope you’re not hurt by my post on Lonely Lullaby. I do NOT like to hurt people’s feelings. I’m just a concerned fan. Best wishes! :D
Mr. Adam Young,
I’d just like to say that everything you write (songs included) amazes me. I probably sound just like everyone else, but there’s just something about the way you use words. It’s calming to me. So all I have left to say is thank you for saving my life every day. It’s been tough, but your work makes it easier.
God has blessed you.
Again, thank you,
R. P. F.
The Last picture makes me think of New Zealand. I love New Zealand. My God bless you indeed and keep giving you more territory and my His hand always be with you. (Paraphrase of the Prayer of Jabez)
:)
Everything about you and what you do is beautiful Adam. That is why I’m so in love with you.
See you soon.
♥♥♥
You’re right. The sad feeling always stays, it lingers in your mind and doesn’t go away as easily. I felt empty when I wasn’t home for a while, but now I’m back home to the country side, right where I belong. It’s quite and peaceful, there’s no horrible smell and there’s no noise in the back round that won’t let me sleep at night. And always hearing the insects makes me sleepy.
I loved this entry… It made me see so many things in my mind.
“I could never in my wildest dreams have imagined the summer weather in New York. A pretty girl in a white dress told me she thought I was cute and I blushed all the way home.” I like this part the best. You must have been so happy to be called cute. And maybe one day the summer feeling will one day be in New York…
Thank you Adam Young for this lovely entry, hope to hear more.
Getting randomness and seriousness in the same blog entry, how he does it, it beats me. I love the deeper thoughts into the shallow things of the world. I admit, I thought it was a little strange but who doesn’t have these moments, right? Love you, Adam!
I just got the chance to read this because I wanted to take time and enjoy it. This is absolutely amazing, Adam. YOU’RE amazing. I feel like I know you more and more with every blog entry. I feel like we’re exactly alike, because your writing constantly connects with exactly how I feel. I pray that someday, I get the chance to meet you in person. You have more depth and creativity than any other person that I’ve ever known, and I really appreciate that about you.
Love in Christ,
Mara
P.S. I don’t like big cities either!
Dear Adam,
You are extraordinary and absolutely lovely in every way. Hearing your voice always sends a chill down my spine, and a warm feeling in my heart! You clearly have a heart of gold, and you deserve someone so special in your life. You seem like such a wonderful guy, and I wish you total happiness, always.
Your music inspires me, and it always puts me in a better mood. Some songs make me smile from cheek to cheek and others make me bawl my eyes out, but only because they’re so beautiful. Your lyrics and the music are a perfect harmonized match, and I couldn’t dream of anything better. They’re absolutely stunning. Your words are where I go to find my most special moments.
I only hope there’s more guys like you out in this world because you seem to know exactly what to say to a girl, and you know how to treat them right. ANY girl would be charmed to have you.
Always keep a smile on your face and your head held high. People may try to bring you down, but always have faith in the wonderful things life brings.
I hope I have the greatest pleasure of meeting you someday. I would truly feel enchanted to meet you :)
Love always,
Nicole Frakes <3
Don’t stop writing.
Makes me think of the verse in the Bible
“Be still and know that I am God.” ~Psalm 46:10
I think the quietness of the country, woods or peaceful place, help me to reflect more on the Lord and about what he has done! Thanks for another amazing post, Adam!=)
While reading this, I felt like I was whisked away to a place nobody could follow me to. It is truly a sensational feeling that I find hard to put into words. It was like nothing else mattered and all my worries were buried deep down into Earth. A new, unrecognizable emotion took over and I loved every moment of it. Never stop writing; it is one of your many gifts.
Thank you, once again. I think you and I would get along were we to ever meet.
Last night, I fell asleep with my MP3 player on. I was listening to my falling-asleep playlist (guess the name… Too Tired to Fall Asleep) which consists of soft, calming songs. Apparently I fell asleep listening to The Real World, because that song lit up my dreams. And what wonderful dreams they were. I was flying, I was singing my soul out, I fell in love. All one after another, faster than the blink of an eye. Does that somewhat describe your life, Adam? Because it showed me how beautiful the world still is. Loving the world is not the same as hating God. As a child, a Christian child, I loved the world. Everything was perfect, perfectly amazing. As an atheist teen, I reviewed the world and decided it wasn’t as amazing as I thought. Now, as an innocent fan of Owl City, I see the world how you see it. Or how you did in the past few years. It remains beautiful. I can fully appreciate things for how they are. As a musician, a poet, a high schooler, an introvert, an insomniac, a freethinker, an atheist, and above all, an Owlet who CARES about Adam Young. Don’t hate the world, Adam. And don’t hate your God as you say you do by appreciating life. Love can be universal. Didn’t you point that out last week?
Jess, you totally missed the point.
Adam was quoting from James.
James 4:4
New Century Version (NCV)
4 So, you are not loyal to God! You should know that loving the world is the same as hating God. Anyone who wants to be a friend of the world becomes God’s enemy.
Dear Adam,
Your post was beautiful, you’re charming and adorable, and I would love to hang out with you. But the post was somewhat scattered. Please buy a beach house at the ocean, move there, and get a good night’s sleep. Several. A whole month’s worth. And you’re right; it is easier to get a good night’s sleep at the ocean than anywhere else.
And Ashley, please don’t judge Jess. Perhaps that person is re-learning what it means to be a Christian. It always takes time.
God bless everyone here,
Hannah.
This was a very relaxing thing to read it made me think of the ocean sounds or just the sounds of nature in general and it relaxed me. I can’t wait to read your next blog and I’ll see you in 7 days at the OC concert in Austin ^^
No big cities for me either. Sometime, you should visit Northern NorCal. Redwoods, mountains, ocean. You can almost always find a beach with no one there. You’d like it here.
You were amazing last night. :) Truly surreal.
“Because loving the world is the same as hating God.”
I love that bible verse!
All your blogs are AMAZING and inspiring. I also wish I could go live out in the country, but I still like the city. Not all the time though. :)
Ohhh, 7 days for your concert!! :D
I felt like you were putting my deepest thoughts into beautiful, flowing words. Amazing.
I know I shall never be anywhere near as good a writer as you, Adam, but I’d love it if you’d check out my blog: http://orangeintheovercast.blogspot.com/
Hugs,
Madd
“I always wonder who worked these fields and how many beautiful stories were left untold and thus forgotten in the void of time.” I would look at the overgrown paths that were carved through the thick briers and vines of the Virginia woods and think the same thing. What story lied there, untold, in my own backyard? It all sounds wonderful and dreamy, but given the chance, how many people would listen to the story that is begging to be told?
In my neighborhood, at a dead-end street, a long driveway leads way to a old farmhouse previously occupied by a man, a woman, and their six children, more than 100 years ago. The children would do their chores and then hop into a vehicle driven by a rather stubborn pony, who would refuse to pull the weight of more than his own round tummy up the hill. The children would all get out and coax him up the hill, then once at the top their pony would gladly walk them downhill through the path through the woods and off to school. The children would come home and play just as children do today. They would spend the night with their friends, and swim in the creek.
It was a simpler time, a life that was previously lived, but not yet over… because in that house the youngest of the children, Carrie, lives in the house that she was born in. She sits on a swing on her porch and looks out for miles at the land, the trees, and the river that was once owned by her father. She’s a sweet, strong-willed woman. She shuffles around her flower bed with a watering can as her 70-year-old son mows the grass. She mowed it last week, but her son insisted she mustn’t do it any longer. I walk up to her house as I have all summer and give her a hand with her flower garden. When we’re done she shows me inside and I listen to her tell me another story. I enjoy every minuet of it. Hours go by and I tell her I better get home; she begs me to stay for dinner. She uses veggies out of her own garden to cook the most delicious, yet elegantly simple, dinner. She’s like a grandmother to me. I love to spend time wit her, I love to hear her stories.Without me they would be untold: lost, wasted wisdom in a world that desperately needs it. I wonder if one-day when I get old will there be someone to listen to my stories?
It’s been three years now since then, the house lies empty. The woman and her son are in a better place and I like to think they are here where I am- right now, a hundred years ago before the streets, and houses covered the landscape. They are children playing with other children(people I once knew) in a pretty field in the middle of the woods, with a creek. Under a big, knotty oak tree a man sits and watches over his children…
haha I didn’t intend to write so much I just kept on typing. Anyway, if even one person enjoys it I’ll be satisfied.
I know this sounds awful to say here but, I love the city. It’s the only place you can touch people’s happiness, taste thier pleasures, and eat thier pain. It’s so bright and shiney but under all that glitz and glam is a broken world bleeding and pleeding for compassion.
I’ve seen things in this world a girl my age shouldn’t know excist, it’s wicked, dirty, and not one bit pure. I’m drawn to it not because I love the world but because I care about those people. Actually I was once and still am kinda a piece of them. Please don’t treat us like trash
I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to be rude. I was just trying to say, we may be dirty, messy, and unlovable but Jesus always takes us like that. He loves us like that and He changes us. I really didn’t mean to be mean or anything.
I was a student, English is not good, with the translation to understand, I really very happy, there is such a person, can share his belonging to the world to me.
I think, I have a clean world, so the world is in the dream is hazy, where, with your song,May God bless you.
Hey, Adam?
This is the most beautiful thing I have read in a very long time.
I think I’ll actually sleep tonight.
All us hoot owls love you.
New York hugh? I LIVE THERE!!!! I wish I would’ve meet you at the concert at the Roseland Ballroom, but I was with my parents and they wanted to go home, so i couldn’t :’( . Although hopefully I will meet you. Now i’m getting off topic. . .
Yet things are different through your eyes and that’s way i enjoy your music and blogs and just your imagination. I agree when you say that you aren’t a big fan of the city. I like it enough to spend the day and maybe a concert or something. I live in the subrabs, and it’s good, not a big town. But my favorite is the beach. I love the water, either in a pool or in the ocean, i just love water. So when you say, you could just be alone on a fishing boat, at anchor, at sea, i can totally relate.
Thanks for sharing all your thoughts and wonders with us. It makes me feel special! ;P
Hope you sleep well tonight! May God Bless You!
~laurianna
I grew up in AR. :) And even though fact blends seamlessly with fiction in this tale of places I’m sure I never went, it sounds like home.
Thanks for living the God-given dream. I wanna live my life the way you do. Creating beautiful things to honor the Creator and to honor the gift He gave you :).
You ARE cute, Adam. :)
Random as it may be here, have you heard of George MacDonald? He wrote a lot of amazing fantasy! I think you would enjoy his fantasy. The stories smell of other worlds, kind of like CS Lewis’ space trilogy, but more in the whimsical way.
His best are The Portent (aka The Somnabulist, ironic?), The Golden Key, Phantastes, Lilith, and Photogen and Nycterus. You can find all of them online at project gutenberg.
The Portent is about a Scottish dude who has the “second sight” except through his hearing, not his vision. It’s the story of how he meets and saves the girl he’s been in love with for several lifetimes.
The Golden Key is a dreamlike story about a boy on a quest to find the lock which the golden key opens. It’s very short but very pretty. In the end he and his companion find the land where no shadows fall.
Photogen and Nycterus is also short. A witch raises a boy and girl from birth to be of the day (photogen) and night (nycterus). They each eventually become acquainted with both day and night. They run away together and, of course, kill the witch, and live happily ever after.
Phantastes has the taste of medieval literature. It’s a coming of age adventure fantasy… a traipsy through fairyland. There are driads and knights and floods and castles and so much beauty. CS Lewis said this book baptized his imagination.
Lilith is an interesting story. It follows a young man in his travels and adventures in another world. He meets Adam and Eve. (Adam likes to go about as raven at times.) He’s captured by brute-like creatures and saved by children who live in the trees. He falls in love with the girl that takes care of the children, and they all go to kill the witch (Lilith) because she destroys all children.
They’re fun; everybody should check them out.
God bless you and keep you, may His face shine upon you. May He quiet you with his Love.
Dear Adam,
Your opening paragraph reminds me a lot of the song “Our Town” from the Disney movie “Cars”. The way you talk about the days of old brings back my sentiments of why I prefer the simplicity of nature rather than the noise and creepshows of the big cities.
I too desire a location of greenery. A place to escape the shadiness and bask in the joy of serenity. Fortunately, I was raised in a very rural state, and where I reside is surrounded by much of the natural resources. Where you’d like to live sounds like a dream house; only I’ve never seen the ocean beyond a photograph. It is one of my tiny wishes to hopefully see it someday in its breathtaking entirety in person.
I’m well-acquainted with the feeling of sadness. So much that I consider it that type of annoying “friend” that shows up unannounced, talks nerve-gratingly loud, seemingly never leaves, and, to put it lightly, rains on my parade the rest of the day. (No pun intended, by the way.) Despite that fact, I’m glad I can still laugh and enjoy things. You and your music happens to be one of those things, I’ll add.
As far as loving the world, well, I can’t say I “love” it, but I have a certain inclination to feel grateful towards it. It’s true, there’s a lot of “immorality” and “corruption” in it as you put, but there’s the little, finer moments in life that make it not so bad. The times I go for a walk around my hill and observe the trees, the small creatures, the bright open sky, or a calming starry night with a glimmering moon are when I feel blessed to be a part of something so wondrous. I can be thankful to the Creator and appreciate His creation in that regard. It’s an ugly, yet beautiful world.
Sitting home with my computer and having the brief moments of bliss where I can have peace are some of my best times because, like you, I don’t do well in crowds or social gatherings. It takes me roughly ten minutes, if that, before I start to crave the shelter of my own private corner.
In short, a lot of what you’re saying makes sense to me. Although, there’s a slight edge of melancholy to it. If you’re feeling a little down, then I hope you’ll feel better soon. I know these are the same old tired things to say, but it’s all I can offer to you. You’re at your finest when you’re smiling, you know. At least, I always thought so.
Take care. I wish you well.
-Rogue
First: You made me think again of the sea and now I miss IT so much
Second: In this troubled time I always tell mom that we (poor humans who are suffering of the corruption of the world) should find some place like a high mountain and stay there, worship God until the day of judgment arrive.
Thank you Adam <3 <3 <3
Dear Adam,
First, I would like to mention that I LOVEEEE Watership Down! The imagery in the first paragraph already reminded me of the downs, but then you mentioned Cowslip and Violet and it made a grin traverse its way across my face! All of the little vignettes that you had the grace to share with us shone, each with its own way. Some of them shimmered with hope, some gleamed with a sharp hint of dusky melancholy, or glittered with idealistic serenity. The paragraph concerning the nature of sadness, in particular, hit me with its clear reality. I didn’t even realize how fleeting happiness was until you eloquently typed it out. Sadness is truly long-lasting, isn’t it? But luckily, there are so many thing in the world that can invoke joy. That being said, I think your observation that loving the world means hating God is inaccurate. God, after all, did create the earth. Imagine yawning canyons, rumbling icebergs, sleepy mountains, and lonely stars. Why would He have created these things if he didn’t want us to enjoy them? You have only one go around before you stand outside the pearly gates. I say live your life honorably, but enjoy what life has to offer. But I am so completely envious of how easy it is for you to live fully through Christ. I wish you could show me how you see God.
I wish you the best!
Sincerely, Molly
Tigerlover205@bellsouth.net
God Bless, Adam. Your writing is always so inspirational :)
Heh heh blushing all the way home, how cute ;)
:)
You have a beautiful heart Adam, something that’s rare in this age.
I’m guessing there’s much much more inside you than you’ve accessed, and with each new season in your life, each new page turned, something new and amazing will be unraveled. :)
Just keep being you Adam, no matter what.
P.s- I looooooooove the way you write.
Cheers!!!
Adam, you are such a beautiful writer! Whenever I read your posts, it seems as if you are talking to me like I am a close friend in need of comfort and cheering up. You always make me feel better when I’m down.
I have some questions to ask though. Who is Violet, why was she taken, and why was the field covered in blood afterwards? Adam, I may be reading in to this way too much, but it seems as if you have lost someone. What with the bitter-sweet memories that are actually mainly bitter and the things you said you’d rather forget. When I saw the name Violet, I instantly thought of Vanilla Twilight when you said “When violet eyes get brighter, and heavy wings grow lighter…”. I then thought, “Could Violet be the girl in the blue dress I hear fans talk about?”. Sorry if it’s personal, just curious.
Also, about when you said, “Because loving the world is the same as hating God” I don’t exactly believe this. I love God with all my heart and love the world and want to make it a better place. Although, you could have meant what the world has become; the dirty, violent, immoral place full of people that suck and continue to make the world suck. Then yes, I would agree with that, because I /certainly/ do not love that! But the world in general, yeah, I love it and want to help the people and places that are affected by worldsuck (worldsuck: the things in the world that suck. i.e. gangs, pollution, drugs and their stupid wars, and the severe and steadily increasing lack of education (especially the education of God)!).
And so this comment with multiple parts is concluded. Farewell, whoever is reading this! (for future notice, DFTBA means don’t forget to be awesome) oh. and. I must congratulate you once more of your beautiful writing, Adam! <3
DFTBA,
Emma! XD
“loving the world is the same as hating god” it means that we must not be in anyway attached to this world, we can try to fix it but we mustn’t be afraid to let it go, for it it is to wrong to try and fix, to far gone, to fix the world is gods job now we just need to wait and watch how it is done
I’m not relearning what it means to be a Christian. I’m learning what I would have been like had I not stopped and thought “wait, does this even make sense?” Did you even read what I said? I see a beautiful, Godless world, still yearning for protection and love, and still believing it was created. I am learning what it means to think independently.
But this really is a beautiful post. Now we know what goes on in that amazing mind of Adam’s…
Are all lads good :) ?
Thank you! This was very comforting.
I really wish I’d had a chance to read this sooner. It really stinks only having internet on the weekends!! I love your entries, because when I”m reading them, I feel like I could be speaking to you. You have SO much voice, and it absolutely shows through your writing. That, among many other reasons is why I look up to you as a writer, and a poet.
I have a couple semi-random thoughts to go with this rather interesting, pretty piece of writing. The first one is this-
Boom di ada boom di ada boom di ada boom di ada,
I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills, I love the flowers, I love the , I love the fireside, when all the lights are low…
The mood of the first paragraph, and a few of the lines reminded me of learning this song in the fourth grade. I like it.
Another thought- This line stuck with me.
“Sometimes I get sad after I watch something melancholy and it’s strange how that emotion doesn’t leave you immediately the way laughter or some other intake of information tends to do.”
cont’d-(My comment got CUT OFFFFFF)
Anyway-the above line stuck with me from when I first read it, all the way to when I finished the page. It got me thinking. Sadness, it’s a funny thing. It affects everyone differently. Dispite how stong one emotion can be, it’s easy for it to be overcome by sadness. I think a lot of readers can relate to ending of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! Although I’d read the book numerous times and I knew what to expect, the melancholy feeling following the loss of so many beloved characters left me feeling a little empty for the rest of the week, despite the triumph of winning the war. Which got me thinking a little more…
I am a very empathetic person when it comes to stories, its kind of a weird thing really. I have a really hard time living in the real world and feeling MY emotions when there’s the Goblet Of Fire, worn down, sitting my my black little shelf waiting for me pick it up, and live in that world for a while. As long as I want. There’s something amazing about getting to know characters, living among them, loving with them, losing with them, that is so much more satisfying than reality most times. Or getting lost in a beautiful song, that tells so many stories in so little time.
So sometimes getting sad when you see something sad isn’t such a bad things. Personally, it reminds me that there are so many other worlds out there to enjoy and all you have to do is pop LOTR in the DVD player, or perhaps, read the newest Owl City blog entry! For me, the lingering drearyness just reminds me how much I love to escape into my storybook world, and how real it really is for me. There is always an escape, if you never need one. There is always something exciting going on somewhere, you just need to look.
Thank you though, for providing such an amazing place to spend when you’re feeling down, or whenever, with all of YOUR creative works! I love snuggling in my daybed and putting on an OWL CITY cd, or some Aquarium mp3′s. You can never forget the real world entirely, but you can always take a little vacation! Or in my case, as a fulltime daydreamer, it would be like taking a vacation to reality. Like you said, Reality is a lovely place, but I wouldnt want to live there!
My stomach hurts everytime I remember I could have poured my heart out to you through a letter at your Toronto concert, had I enough common sense to realize I could have given it to someone else to give to you. I could have even brought the Optimus Prime cookie that when I saw, I thought of you! I hope I get another chance someday, becasue I love you and everything you do, and I wish I could tell you a thousand times how much you amaze me. I’ll never give up trying to contact you, I’ll send you a hundred letters if need to! Thank you for everything you do. God bless you, a million times!
Love Lorelei
PS-I agree with the pretty girl in the white dress, you ARE very, very cute!
I just wanted to say that I actually live in Rapid City, South Dakota. I love the Dinosaur park and the best part about it may be that it sits on a road called Skyline Drive, where at night you can drive up and look down two sides of a hill that shows all the city lights spread out below you, yet at the same time you’re among thousands of stars, trees, and crumbling stone walls. It really is very peaceful here- I just got finished with a week of church camp in the Black Hills, and I can safely say that the Bible is right when it says that the beauty of God is revealed through nature. At night you could see millions of stars, crystal clear, and although the mosquito’s were murder, the peacefulness of the tall grass, pine trees, and singing stream really helped you focus on what was important- your relationship with your Creator. Also, I was ridiculously excited when I saw you mentioned Rapid. Thanks for your amazing Faith and Music!
Dear Adam,
I’m just another fan to you, I know, but how I hope that you’ll see this and take a moment or two to let your eyes fall over my heartfelt words to you.
Your beautiful talent is amazing to me, I love how you make my heart jump and my eyes moisten when I hear your voice.
I was incredibly blessed to see you in sanfrancisco a few days ago, just another blurry face in the crowd to you who you know nothing about, but I loved singing along and watching you dance. Seeing you sing, I could plainly see that you were not singing for us and not for me, but for the one who deserves all our praise.
Thank you Adam Young, you inspire me with your faith and I love reading your blog. I think your so sweet and fun — and yes, I have to say that I am a crazy fan, haha. And I have no doubt it will be so fun to see you in Heaven! :D
Thank you so much for everything you’ve done.
I honestly pray that Jesus will bless your life, and I’m not just saying that — I really want your life to be full of His wonderful blessings!
Sincerely,
Emily
For much of the first three paragraphs, I felt strange connections touching together in my mind. It seemed almost as if the words themselves were tickling my memory and getting so close and yet so far from taking me to one of your songs, one of my childhood moments, one of my daydreams.
Maybe we’re all still dreaming, right? Does it matter? If the real world existed, then how could all these dreamers be here at all? The others… They forgot their beginnings.
You woke me up.
Thank you for the words. They were inspiring, as always.
i can fell ur positive emotions in these words Adam :)
I used to be mamp1 but now I’m Maddie. FYI.
Hummm… after reading a lot of what people posted, i think people are confused as to what Adams referring to the world. I think he means worldly aspics rather then the world in general. BUT I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU ADAM with your statement. We can’t love the ways of the world and God’s ways at the same time, it makes total sense:) YOUR THE BEST ADAM!
(as Jeramy Johnson from Worth Dieing For would say PREACH IT WHITE BOY!)
Praying For You!
xoxoxxo
CarrieLynn
Reading this just makes me want to give you a hug. ‘Course, I don’t actutally know you, and you don’t actually know me except for some random kid commenting on your blog. Not to sound awkward, it just…idk. Feel sad now.
It’s annoying how sad stuff can stick with you, even if it’s one tiny drop, one second of the day, and even if you have loads of happy stuff happen, you keep on thinking about the sad. Like having a huge glass of water, or even a pool that’s crystal clear and putting one drop of food coloring in, it just kinda floods the entire thing and hides the happy stuff.But you’ve just got to remember that more good things happen than bad. There’s always something good, even if it doesn’t seem like it. I mean, going back to the pool thing…you might be focusing on how the entire pool has being flooded, but the sun’s still shining, there’s still hope and so much happiness. c: I’m insanely shy, I’ll admit it, at least, I used to be. Still really shy and awkward around new people or in big crowds, but I just never felt comfortable. My mom always says know matter what, just be true to yourself and be who you are.c: Me? I’m a total tomboy, who totally loves animals, and I’d rather be outside having fun, exploring, horsebackriding or playing with my dogs than sitting around talking all day. Not saying those people are bad, though, they’re still awesome and it doesn’t make them any less nice. I’d feel awkward, and kind of…frozen-y and feel like hI just want to go home, to my mom, my family, my dogs. But around dogs, and other animal lovers, I’m totally open and feel like I can talk to any of them. Just be true to yourself. :D And life’s good, even though it may not seem like it sometimes, and it may seem like so much is bad but, really, there’s so much awesomeness, fun and good. c: <33
*endsrandomlyramblehfivewordturnedcommentthat'sprettymuchatextwallo3o*
Wow. You definitely have a way with words!
That last photo looks like New Zealand native bush…
Is it?
…’ that was before Cowslip showed up and the field was suddenly covered with blood.’
Was that, perchance, referring to Watership Down?
I know that my comment have nothing to do with this post, but i really want you to read it adam. I comment in an old post, and I’ll put here.
1- To know that God, Jehova loves and cares about me and the hole world;
2- To see that my parents love me enough to have nothing just to give me everything and see me happy;
3- To know than since I’m closer to God, I have now truly friends;
4- To know that you might be reading this;
5- Your songs that calms me down, show me feelings that I never felt before and “makes me feel alive again” :D;
6- The “smile” that I see in the face of my dog, everytime i get home;
7- The way that my cat wake me up in the middle of the night to sleep with me and at the mornig, with that big smilling blue eyes (sounds like the songs that you make);
8- I’m happy enough with this things, but you ask me 10. So, i love to se the groom’s face when the bride is walking toward him;
9- When I’m really tired, the i go to sleep, wake up in the middle of the night and remember that there’s nothing to do in the other day, and sleeplike an angel;
10- Since I know you my life is happier than before, i se the world bright and beutiful with my ocean eyes. Maybe I’m dreaming, but if I am, i don’t wanna wake up, because reality is a lovely place, but I’d rather dream in this bitter world. Please Adam, keep making me happy, because I’ll never forget you. This is the truly words of a girl who isn’t your fan (because I just adore God), and isn’t you friend (because you don’t know about mi existence), but if I have the oportunity to be closer to you, next tou you, sitting with you at the Applebees (lol), saing nothing, just being whit you, I would be so happy that words can’t describe my feelings and thoughts. Sorry about my terrible english, but I’m trying hard to show you my heart, because you already showed me yours.
I love you Adam, and nothing’s gonna chage it.
Kisses.
I’m so with you Adam :) I just want to go live by the sea and not have a care or worry in the world and have the ocean waves sing me to sleep. I was in Maine for a week and your songs How I Became the Sea, Captains and Cruise Ships, Shy Violet, and Youtopia just rolled through my head all week. Thanks for making my week ten times better with your amazing creativity :) Your so talented and I just wish that i’ll learn from you with your music and faith in Jesus. And good job on ABC on Wednesday….i think it was wednesday :) haha
I wrote my last comment when I had only gotten halfway through your entry. Wow Adam. NEVER stop writing :) your so good. Even though sometimes I dont quite get what your saying its still beautifully confusing haha. I totally understand what your saying when sometimes just this sad emotion takes over you and you feels like it will never go away. Thats soo cute that you blushed all the way home :)
Oh my gosh, I love your writing so much. I will never stop reading it or be bored while reading it. :)
Indeed, the innocence and purity of the country are intoxicating and lovely. I grew up in the country and simply adore it. Now I live near one of the biggest cities in the U.S. and I find it beautiful and peaceful in its own ways. It’s amazing the way God opens our eyes to other ways of life when he leads us to live somewhere. Chicago is absolutely beautiful, you just have to look harder to see it, and sometimes that makes it even more beautiful. The friendly smiles, the genuine people you do find, the reminders that big cities aren’t all bad, that the skyscrapers are genius and gorgeous in their own right, and the way the sun bounces off of them on a beautiful summer day. The stillness in the midst of the loudness. All the craziness slips away at the sight of Lake Michigan on a calm, quiet evening. God’s beauty is all around us, no matter where we are, we just have to be open to seeing it.
Just my two cents… but love hearing your thoughts. :)
This was beautiful, Adam. Very, very beautiful. Be sure and let us know when you are going to write a book. :)
I wish I could write like you. More than that, maybe, I wish I could think like you.
Thank you so much for another lovely post,
Julie :)
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I don’t know you, but I feel like I do. I had never read your blog before, but it kind of speaks to my soul.
Pls. write a book…!
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I AGREE WITH GIEVAH! DO ITTTTT!
i appreciate nothing at all
There are some fascinating deadlines in this article but I don’t know if I see all of them middle to heart. There is some validity however I will take hold opinion till I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we would like more! Added to FeedBurner as well
“I always wonder who worked these fields and how many beautiful stories were left untold and thus forgotten in the void of time. It’s rather a world within the world, untouched it seems, by the handprint of fashion and popularity
Right now there’s a closet full of people staring at me, watching me type out letters that form words which read off a screen they cannot see from where they are. I wonder if they know I’m talking about them. They are the ghosts that lived here long before any of us chose to call it home. I don’t want to look in their direction but the more I try to appear casual, the more I’ll bet they can tell I’m pretending. They’re not scary or eerie or alarming, they’re just sad. I want to help them.
You have to pay to go anywhere or do anything and that gets old really fast to me. No independence, too many people, so much noise, so much sad corruption. Above all else I crave for innocence and purity and even though it’s rarely around, it’s indeed right in front of my eyes and the trick is to see it. So what am I waiting for? It’s time to stop waiting. Because loving the world is the same as hating God. The equation is obvious. It’s time to change.”
I love these. I wonder about these things all the time. When I stand on a crowded street I imagine dirt roads and the people that once walked there. What happened here? How did we get here? I lay on the grass, looking at the stars wondering who looked up at these stars before. What happened here? I swear sometimes that ghosts pace up and down the streets, renacting their lives. Living, or rather not living, History. It’s a mystery. And the last one speaks for itself. It’s time to stop waiting.
Really enjoyed this blog post, how can I make is so that I get an update sent in an email every time you publish a fresh post?
Thanks for the update, can I set it up so I receive an email sent to me whenever you publish a fresh update?
Really Appreciate this blog post, is there any way I can receive an update sent in an email when you write a new article?
P.S.S: oh, and I like your schneaky reference to “Enchanted.” :D
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