As a kid, I wore a satchel and a bandana around my neck every day because it made me feel like an adventurer.

In my teen years, I put them away and worried that nobody took me seriously – Until I realized that nobody had to.

This is for the kid who talks too much about his favorite game.
The kid with a katana in the back of her hoodie.
The kid who wears his Spider-man shirt more than normal to help get through the day.

Nostalgia may mean more to me than any other song I’ve ever written. I feel like it has some of the best most heartfelt poetry I’ve ever written, even though it’s comprised of the most basic chord progression you could ever ask for.

I was sitting alone in my brother’s apartment (where I lived) when I wrote this. I happened to have a day off when he and his (now ex) wife were both at work or school. I sat down at her keyboard and started plunking – without really knowing anything about playing piano whatsoever (I grew up playing guitar).

The song had one main question:

If I asked 10 year old Chandler: “Where was I supposed to be by now?”

What would his response be? Would he like it? Would he like my friends and decisions?

At the time I had made a lot of really great connections after starting college, but it had been a few years since, and some connections had come and gone. I finally had the ability to connect with friends whenever I wanted on my own schedule. But that ability eventually becomes old as you have to evaluate the value of each of these relationships in your life.

In this particular moment, I had just finished a big video project with my best friends. The project was personal and emotionally involved for him. And since it involved so many people, it created a lot of tension between many friends.

I found myself asking where I was going, what my priorities were, and who I wanted to spend my time with.

I think I’ve made some healthy decisions since. I’ve disconnected from some people and reconnected to others, including my best friend – who I realized was an incredibly constructive, driven and passionate friend to have – and those are rare. He’s now doing super well and starting his own business in video.

I guess from this I learned – Ask your 10 year old self if he/she likes where you are. If not, ask where to go next.

One of the lines of the song is “perspectives dress me to the nines,” because perspective means EVERYTHING to how you see yourself and how you see yourself means everything to the next steps you take in life.

Keep going.

Make healthy choices.

Check your progress.