Sophie’s Utopia

When I was a sophomore in high school, our teacher gave us a very interesting assignment: to write a composition about our idea of a utopia. It could be a very general description or it could be specifically tailored to our interests. There were so many responses to the prompt. One girl fashioned her utopia after the Shire, with music from the soundtrack for Lord of the Rings always playing (I don’t know where the music was supposed to come from—maybe the trees?). Another person made his be a huge gym with tons of sports and games and such.

I remember that I called mine the “Eternal Jazz Fest.” Ha! There was live jazz all the time, and the professionals who played also gave clinics. Kids lived on the grounds of the jazz festival, attending concerts and clinics and lessons, practicing, and jamming all day. Everyone got along, and there was free music all the time.

What I wrote my sophomore year, what I have just described to you—that, in a nutshell, is my “freshman experience” here at IU. I take lessons from one of the world’s leading saxophone players. I am in a jazz band directed by one of the greatest jazz educators living. I play music almost every night with incredible musicians who are also my friends. I hear music. I breathe it, I live it. Most importantly, I love it.

A couple nights ago, I watched Office Space with some friends (it’s the greatest comedy of all time, by the way). There’s a scene toward the beginning where Peter, the main character, goes to a hypnotist. He hates his job. He tells the hypnotist that his job makes his life a nightmare. Every progressive day is worse than the day before. Essentially, every day is the worst day of his life. Every day that you see him, he is having the worst day of his life.

I’ve been spontaneously smiling ever since, because the opposite is true for me. I have a good time every day. Every day is better than the one before. Essentially, every time you see me, I am having the best day of my life. How’s that for a utopia?