Dust in the Wind

Now, don't hang on,
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky,
It slips away,
And all your money won't another minute buy,
Dust in the wind,
All we are is dust in the wind . . .
- Kansas

Sometimes when I'm out of the range of Power 96, Faribault's best (and only) classic rock station, I get a little craving for Power 96's mashed potato comfort rock. I know a lot of people who like to have a piece of chocolate when feelings of angst overwhelm them. Myself, I feel like listening to a little cornball Kansas. I burned a CD that I can take with me when I'm going to be far from home. I find the song Dust in the Wind particularly comforting.
You don't have to worry so much about a program failing to compile when you are reminded that we're all going to eventually become dust. It really doesn't matter that you're getting a Java null pointer exception, because you realize someday we're all going to be taking a dirt nap, including the Java compiler. That's one of the first things you learn in life. As Robert Fulghum wrote in "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten", "Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we."
So I only have a limited amount of time left - so many seconds that are numbered. It really makes that failing program seem less important. Will I care about it next year? Should I spend time on a Saturday fixing it when I could be taking Grandma out shopping?
This is why a little Kansas is all I need to settle down and relax. It puts my priorities back in order. A little reminder that nothing lasts forever, nothing good, and nothing bad.