These days, old songs resonate more deeply.

Both of my kids have graduated from college and found jobs,

and in this middle-aged time of newfound leisure,

I often enjoy pop songs and listen to old music.

A few days ago, I heard the Eagles' "Hotel California" on the radio.

That slow guitar riff, the addictive chorus.

That song was almost the background music for every art class during our school days.

But today, each line of the lyrics strangely felt familiar.

No, it felt more significant than strange.

"Welcome to the Hotel California~

Such a lovely place, such a lovely face..."

At first, it sounds like a bright welcome.

A beautiful and wonderful place, with wonderful people.

But as the lyrics progress, the atmosphere strangely changes.

The protagonist of this song drives down a desolate highway and arrives at a strange hotel at night.

At first, he is captivated by the warm welcome and luxurious atmosphere.

But gradually, he realizes that it is a place you cannot escape from,

a prison-like space where reality and fantasy intertwine.

"You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."

This last line gives me chills.

On the surface, it speaks of hospitality and freedom, but in reality, it is about an inescapable addiction, corruption, or self-deception.

Some interpretations say this criticizes the emptiness of wealth and pleasure in 1970s LA, or the moral decay of American society.

But these days, as I listen to these lyrics, I think of a certain point in our lives.

A life that seems perfect on the outside, a family that appears to have it all, a glamorous daily life.

But within that, are we not sometimes trapped in a hotel of emotions we want to escape but cannot?

As I grow older and listen again, the loneliness in those lyrics feels like our reality.

Now, even friends who are somewhat successful, friends with good homes and families, are they not all living in their own Hotel California inside?

This place seems to have no problems on the surface, but sometimes the feeling of "I want to escape from here" creeps up.

Yet, the courage to actually leave does not come... such a complicated feeling.

Of course, life is beautiful.

We have family, precious people, and small but certain happiness.

But that does not mean we are always satisfied.

Isn't that the reality of middle age?

So these days, music is a comfort.