Life as I Know It

Knights of the island counter-dave melillo

So we sit at this table with our hands in our laps
And we have a few drinks and we share a few laughs
But now those days have past and they’re not coming back
It’s a shame cause that’s all that I had

And we’ll sing out loud for hours
Until the morning that we know we can’t avoid
These nights are notable and priceless
I swear that every word I say, I mean until my dying day
It’s a shame when I wake I can’t recall a thing

So keep things quiet until the rest of the street falls asleep
Then we’ll break out and show everyone just what were made of
So young, lets abuse our health and have a little fun
I’ll drink to that, let’s drink to that

I’ve got some problems but we’ve got ten dollars
That’s enough to get us wasted before the night is over
These past five days I’ve been completely sober
But tonight I’m getting ripped wide open



These lyrics could not mean more to me as I sit here, procrastinating from my terribly dull job of writing script after script, half-heartedly trying to convince people to live at most likely shitty apartment homes.

They take me back, back to campouts in friends backyards, back to breaking into my old high school at 4 am, back to sitting outside, looking around at all the people who have made my life what it is today.


Life as I know it will end, my dearest friends will leave, things will never be the same.


As I sit in this scratchy purple desk chair, they're all I can think about, they're all I know, and they're all going to be gone in 2 weeks time at the latest.

Hard as I try to push this thought away, forget that life as I know it is ending faster than I hope to realize, and focus on the joy of going to the school of my dreams and the years of struggling that got me there, it stays. It won't leave me alone. Every corner I turn, every song I hear, every letter I type, it haunts me.


Life as I know it will end, my dearest friends will leave, things will never be the same.


From the early days of summer camp, to the awkward middle school football games, to the tragedies, joys, and craziness of high school, they've always been there for me. When I thought all was lost, life wasn’t worth living, no one loved me, no one cared, and God had forsaken me, when I didn't know if my mother would survive to see my wedding, when she lost her hair, when I fell into the depths of depression, they were there for me. Others came and went, but my sisters, my brothers, they were right around the corner.

What have I done to deserve such spectacular people in my life? What on earth have I ever done right? I was the outcast. I went to a different school. I had different views. I make different life choices. Yet, weekend after weekend, I found myself with them, cherishing every moment I spent with my real friends and loving that they accepted me the way I was: different, weird, and all around crazy. These are true relationships, not just acquaintances, not high school friends you'll maybe see at a reunion or two in the future, these are true friends. And now, I must face the facts:


Life as I know it will end, my dearest friends will leave, things will never be the same.


A bright camera light flashes on us for possibly the last time. The 13 of us stand together as one for possibly the last time. As we jump off the ledge in front of my house, we all fall in different places and scatter across the lawn. We spread out in our different directions, laughing at ourselves and smiling. We separate. We are apart. We leave...

…until we reach the front door.


Life as I know it will still end, my dearest friends and I will venture into the unknown, but soon return, things will never change, our love will remain the same.

I love you all.