I created a spotify playlist titled “emo isn’t a phase, it’s a lifestyle” that features artists like Taking Back Sunday, Yellowcard and Something Corporate. It’s essentially a collection of music that was much more popular about a decade ago.

There was a time circa 2008 that I often revere as iconic. MySpace was all the rage. I used physical buttons to text people on my not so smart phone. I was pretty melodramatic at that time. I used to attempt to write edgy song lyrics with “deeper” meanings that actually weren’t that deep.

I also went through a hardcore Paramore phase. And more than anything – I wanted to attend Warped Tour, a touring concert series featuring an array of bands that will end after 2018.

Although I’m pretty content with my life – sometimes, I miss the year 2008. There was a simplicity to that time. I was a tween who didn’t know anything about anything. I didn’t have to figure out my life because I was nowhere near adulthood. All I had to do was be alive.

In 2008, I didn’t own a smartphone that intermittently lit up with emails I needed to attend to or reminders to complete yet more things on my to do list.

The year 2008 felt easier. I think I took it for granted. Now, I’m on the brink of graduating college and embarking on life. Perhaps in my adult life, I’ll listen to that spotify playlist on the way to work and reflect on a different time.