She Listens: Eternal Sunshine by Jhene Aiko

Maeve Binchy once said, “The great thing about getting older is that you become more mellow. Things aren’t as black and white, and you become much more tolerant. You can see the good in things much more easily rather than getting enraged as you used to do when you were young.”

The song “Eternal Sunshine” by Jhene Aiko is the epitome of this quote.

Despite the singer being 27-years old, she starts the song off by crooning, “Is it strange for me to say that/ If I were to die today/There’s not a thing that I would change/I’ve lived well.”

She goes on to acknowledge that she has made mistakes and been hurt, but still claims that her life has been “well”. She also recognizes that in reflection of her life, she is only able to “recall all of the good things” that occurred.

The pre-hook and hook of the song is what really mirrors the ideology of the quote by Binchy. Aiko sings about how the more she experiences, the more knowledgeable she becomes. Besides this revelation, the song and quote also acknowledge that with age, comes a sense of euphoria.

You begin to hone in on the good things in your life.

What makes you happy?

Who makes you smile?

For those reasons this song inspires me to be a good person so that I can reflect on my life with the same appreciation that Maeve Binchy and Jhene Aiko have about there’s. Listening to this song, you may have a similar revelation or a different epiphany entirely.

Would you be okay if you died today?

Do you have good memories to reflect on?

Have you lived well?