A shining light in the dark gives one something to hope for. Music has been that light for me the past few years, especially the song "Good Day" by Nappy Roots. In the summer of 2019, I was transitioning to a new home in a new state and getting ready to go to a new school at the time. To top it all off, I lost a dear friend of mine, making the transition that much more difficult. My friend, Izzy, was one of the brightest bubbles of joy that I have ever known and possibly to ever walk the Earth. The loss of Izzy shrouded me in a dense, dark cloud, leaving me without a guiding light. The next few months were extremely gloomy. My time was spent doing schoolwork and playing football, over and over and over again. Although I love all three of these activities, none of them succeeded in bringing me joy. I tried to remodel my habits after Izzy in order to create a joyous facade, however, this also failed as it served as a constant reminder of her absence instead. It seemed like an immense amount of time had passed as I trudged through my repetitive daily schedule with no happy ending in sight. That was until my roommate decided to throw a mini party in our dorm's basement with a few of our dormmates. For most of the night I stayed in my room, mindlessly scrolling through Instagram and Snapchat just trying to bore myself to sleep. Around 1 A.M., my roommate came back in along with two of our close friends blasting some music, likely at the expense of our neighbors' sleep, unfortunately. Eventually, the song "Good Day" by Nappy Roots came on and, although I didn't significantly change my appearance or actions, I immediately "Shazamed" it and added it to my playlist. It eventually became the light in my world. I spent the next few months listening to this song while keeping Izzy in the back of my mind. Although the thoughts of her absence saddened me, I finally knew that i needed to be that light for others which Izzy was for me. I began a transition into comfort and excitement about who I was and who I would become, guided by this song. I made it a goal to always have a good day, measured by my attitude instead of my circumstances. I recognized that unfortunate things will happen, but they are out of my control so I must accept them and focus on what I can change. This new state of mind has stuck with me ever since. "Good Day" reminds me that I am capable of and drawn to love, compassion, and joy. This song has served as both my new light and a projection of my old light, giving me the hope I need to continue pushing forward and enjoying the process along the way.