Crazy little thing called life

I clock out around 5 PM, hop on the bike and start my 8 minute ride home. The streets of Almere are empty. The parks of Almere are empty. I see one older guy walking his dog; a girl's voice sounds in the distance but I don't see her. An exciting city this is not.

While I get off my bike, having arrived at our garden's fence, my neighbour greets me. He's a friendly, retired Surinamese guy. "Hello neighbour," he says. "Hello neighbour," I say. I park my bike in the shed and walk towards the back door of our house. Some birds quietly fly away, their activities temporarily interrupted by my walking past; a repetition of our daily routine. A very exciting neighbourhood this is not.

I unlock the door and walk into our livingroom. It's quiet. I take off my shoes, and soundlessly continue towards the hall. Standing at the bottom of the stairs I start hearing some sounds seeping through. My girlfriend singing a song. My son practicing his first careful baby laughs. "Honey? I'm home..."

When I'm halfway up the stairs somehow I'm reminded of yesterday's post on this weblog and the name of my blog in general. It comes and goes immediately, but it's in my thoughts for a reason: All That Ever Mattered. Not a lot in my life rings more true than the past tense in that name. All that ever mattered doesn't matter that much anymore. All that matters didn't matter before.

I'm such a boring grown up. I love it right now as much as I hate it sometimes.

I finish my walk up the stairs and enter the bedroom, with the lyrics of an old Zita Swoon song going through my head.

"Hey man
You shouldn't be worried
About the good nor the bad
or all them stories
Just slowly point your life
In the right direction
And live it up to the max of true satisfaction"
I said: "Hey
My life is OK"

Download (Mediafire)
1. The Flatmates - This thing called love
2. The Lucksmiths - Self-preservation