The Mandates

As I sat in Christian’s living room, strumming my guitar and singing along to our latest creation, I couldn’t help but feel like I was on the cusp of something great. The worn-out, yet cozy couch beneath me seemed to cradle me, urging me to stay and create something magical. The air was thick with potential, and I could almost taste the sweet success that seemed to be just within my grasp. We had been spending every day together, honing our skills and dreaming of becoming superstars. Christian and I were both obsessed with music and movies, and our conversations would often spiral into heated debates over who was the greatest guitarist of all time or which film should have won the Oscar for Best Picture. Our laughter and fervent discussions filled the room, bouncing off the walls. It was during one of these conversations that we came up with the idea of mandates. Mandates were our way of ensuring that we were always pushing ourselves to be better. We would set a goal for the day, whether it was to write a new song or learn a difficult guitar riff, and we would hold each other accountable. It was like having a personal trainer but for our creative endeavors. Our first mandate was to write a song together. We sat down with our guitars, the smooth, polished wood feeling like an extension of our bodies as our fingers danced along the frets. We began to play around with different chords and melodies, our passion for music fueling our determination to create something special. The air hummed with energy as we plucked strings and strummed chords, each note building upon the last, weaving together a tapestry of sound. After a few hours of tinkering, we finally landed on something that we both loved. It was a simple, catchy tune with a hook that would get stuck in your head for days. The feeling of accomplishment that washed over us was like a tidal wave, leaving us breathless and exhilarated. We’d often celebrate these small victories by watching classic movies in Christian’s living room, chosen from his extensive catalog of bootleg DVDs. The dim glow of the TV screen illuminated our faces as we lost ourselves in the worlds of our favorite films, the perfect way to unwind after a long day of chasing our dreams. This would be the beginning of a long-lasting routine, the cornerstone of our artistic journey.