That California Cool

The waves crash on the shore, slowly wetting the sand beneath my feet. I love that feeling, of sand between your toes. It’s soothing, exfoliating, removing everything dirty that had led me to that very spot. After getting my fill, I venture back through the hot dry sand, quickly trying to reach the relief of my beach towel. I look around, taking in my surroundings. Beautiful Californians lay sprawled across the beach, their perfectly bronzed skin contrasting against the pale sand. They were so content to just lay there, not a worry in the world except to get an even tan. Seagulls fly above in a cloudless blue sky, swooping down to pick up leftovers of any food abandoned on the worn wooden slats of the boardwalk. Up the road a crowd gathers before a makeshift stage, colored tanktops of the girls mixed between the toned shirtless guys as they move in a seemingly chaotic yet choreographed routine to the music blaring out of the stacked black speakers. The band seems to command the stage, with a confidence and love for their music no lyric could ever explain. The lead singer throws his hair in every direction, singing his heart out into the microphone, connecting with more hearts in the audience than he knows. The sweat glistens from his cheekbones, making him even more angelic than when he took the stage. The music carries to the beach, where I find myself tapping my toes to its catchy beat without even realizing as I relax my head upon the soft towel and take in the perfect California sun…

The cool of our generation, in my eyes, is the California cool. The kind of cool that lies in reckless abandonment of responsibility, embracement of the art of ‘chilling’, and perfect sunny conditions. I have always seen the band life as cool, too. I’m attracted to life on the road, where no show is ever the same. I am convinced I am going to fall in love with a rock star. So, naturally, I integrate the two. My generation’s version of cool is where we can just hang out and forget the worries of the world. We grow up with so many expectations and so many opportunities, we often overload ourselves. I know that from personal experience, so maybe this is why California is so appealing to me. I often desire a place where I can just forget responsibility and live day-by-day. I want that Californian mindset, that rock star mindset, of living life for simply that: living. No demands, no expectations. Just me, the sand, the shore and the cloudless blue sky. I wouldn’t mind that perfect tan, either.