You’re Gonna Miss This

I heard a great song the other day. You may not be a fan of country music but hear me out … the lyrics got me.

Also, isn’t it amazing that, no matter how old we get, we keep discovering songs we have never heard before? At least I do.

The song is “You’re Gonna Miss This” by Trace Atkins. 

It was released in 2008 written by Ashley Gorley and Lee Thomas Miller.

This is the chorus:

You’re gonna miss this, you’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days, hadn’t gone by so fast

These are some good times, so take a good look around

You may not know it now, but you’re gonna miss this.

The song is actually written through the eyes of a young woman as she grows up. The first verse:

She was staring out the window, of their SUV

Complaining, saying, “I can’t wait to turn 18”

She said, “I’ll make my own money, and I’ll make my own rules”

Mama put the car in park out there in front of the school

And she kissed her head, and said, “I was just like you”

I’ll print the entire lyrics at the end of this column. The song too.

I could totally relate to these lyrics and in more than one way.

First… I was just like that young lady when I was younger. When I was in school I couldn’t wait until I could get my first job on the radio. Then I couldn’t wait until I got a daytime shift and got off working overnights. After that I couldn’t wait until I made some decent money. Then I couldn’t wait until Priscilla and I got married. Once we were in our first apartment I couldn’t wait until we bought a house. Then it was starting a family and “Well, once they start school it won’t be so hectic.” 

I didn’t realize it then but I do now… I was always looking ahead to the next chapter instead of fully enjoying what was going on in the present moment.

You’re gonna miss this, you’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days, hadn’t gone by so fast

These are some good times, so take a good look around

You may not know it now, but you’re gonna miss this.

The other thing that came to mind was the years my children played baseball and softball. Those were some crazy years.

I may have told you before that our busiest year was when we had all four of our children playing either school ball, rec ball or travel ball or all stars. We had four kids on seven teams. 

We would get their weekend schedules on Wednesday and this was before GPS. My wife and I would take the schedules and a road map (remember those?) and we would try to coordinate a plan. We had our different highlighters, one for each child, “Okay. You take the boys and go to Dartmouth then shoot over to Rochester. I’ll take the girls and go to Swansea then we’ll meet up at the night game in Taunton. Lunch and dinner? You’re on your own.”

Boy do I miss it!

I was also on the coaching staff of at least four of those teams. I kept all four hats and all four polos in my car and changed in parking lots. It was not unusual to go back to work on Monday feeling totally exhausted because you had been going to games since Friday night.

I don’t coach anymore but I do broadcast highschool sports and occasionally you will hear parents complaining about their busy schedules and wondering how they’re going to get everything done. It’s not unusual to hear about forgotten cleats or, “How am I going to get home?” “Can I have some money for the concession stand?” I want to take them aside to tell them to enjoy the ride but they are usually too stressed at the time.

I also see posts on social media from parents going through tournament time.

There were plenty of weekends where I would finally have time to cut the grass at 6:00 p.m. Sunday night after being at ballfields since Friday night. 

Believe it or not, I miss those times when we had to get on the road at 5 a.m. on a Saturday to make the early game. Eating snack bar food all day Saturday and most of Sunday. And during the week I think I had every fast food menu memorized since that was the only way I could squeeze in a meal before or after the game.

Those were some good times. I would often have a quiet ride home as my athlete, or athletes, would fall asleep in the car with their cleats off and dirt and grass stained pants getting all over the car’s interior. By the end of summer there would be several empty water bottles rolling around the back of the car and sunflower seeds at the bottom of their bat bags.

Maybe share this column with someone in your life who is going through this right now. I’ve talked with several friends over the years and, most definitely, you’re gonna miss this.

Enjoy what’s happening while it’s happening. It’s not always easy but it is worth it.

Lyrics

She was staring out the window, of their SUV

Complaining, saying, “I can’t wait to turn 18”

She said, “I’ll make my own money, and I’ll make my own rules”

Mama put the car in park out there in front of the school

And she kissed her head, and said, “I was just like you”

You’re gonna miss this, you’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days, hadn’t gone by so fast

These are some good times, so take a good look around

You may not know it now, but you’re gonna miss this

Before she knows it, she’s a brand-new bride

In her one-bedroom apartment, and her daddy stops by

He tells her, “It’s a nice place”, she says, “It’ll do for now”

Starts talking about babies, and buying a house

And daddy shakes his head, and says, “Baby, just slow down”

‘Cause you’re gonna miss this, you’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days, hadn’t gone by so fast

These are some good times, so take a good look around

You may not know it now, but you’re gonna miss this

Five years later, there’s a plumber, working on the water heater

Dog’s barking, phone’s ringing, one kid’s crying, one kid’s screaming

And she keeps apologizing, he says, “They don’t bother me

I’ve got two babies of my own, one’s 36, one’s 23″

Huh, it’s hard to believe

But you’re gonna miss this, you’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days, hadn’t gone by so fast

These are some good times, so take a good look around

You may not know it now, but you’re gonna miss this

You’re gonna miss this, yeah, you’re gonna miss this

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