Ada hold onto yourself by the sleeves...

...I think everything counts a little more than we think.

On occasion you may listen to music and immediately discard it because something is a bit odd. Most probably that something is too different for your taste of music. Such a tragedy almost happened to me when first hearing the music of the national. However, I have grown to love them and their music and especially the song that the line above (Ada hold onto yourself by the sleeves I think everything counts a little more than we think) refers to: Ada off their cd Boxer.

This line simply will not leave my head. In its entirety, the song is about two estranged lovers from the perspective of the male (Matt Berninger) with one of the tag lines being "Ada don't talk about reasons why you don't want to talk about reasons why you don't wanna talk." In the context of a relationship then, I love the line I think everything counts a little more than it seems.

Broadening our scope to include all types of relationships, not just ones with romantic interest, this line has so much significance. What is the significance of even our smallest action or comment towards someone else? Friendships can be formed or broken on mere words. Yet so many times we only think about ourselves so we don't think about others. What if we intentionally though about what could come out of a lot of our mere day-to-day interactions? What if even the smallest relationships "count a little more than we think?" What if we use chances that we normally squander by dwelling in mere small talk with someone else to get to know more about that person-what they feel, who they are as opposed to their favorite band (but hey, it may be the national)? I just love this line and, as it is quite a vague and open statement, I think it lends itself to a lot of interpretation.