Co-Pilot: Detours and Destinies

Lauren Nixon-Matney • May 4, 2025

Co-Pilot: Detours and Destinies

Letters To Cleo: Co-Pilot

Searching For Stars - 8bit Retro Art - Lauren Nixon-Matney - Jamie Matney - Co-Pilot: Detours and Destinies
Letters To Cleo: Co-Pilot

When we first got together, people warned me.

“He’s no good. He’ll break your heart.”

Funny, considering that’s exactly how this song starts.


And they were right—just not in the way they meant.

We’ve hurt each other. We’ve broken each other’s hearts.

But love isn’t about avoiding the cracks.

It’s about whether you can piece them back together,

whether you’re still standing next to each other when the dust settles.


You drive, I navigate.


That’s the setup, but in reality, we’re both just making it up as we go, following the curves, trusting the road, finding our way in the spaces between.


Somewhere between the streetlights and the stardust, we found our rhythm.

Not in the grand moments, but in the in-betweens—

in the way your hand finds mine without looking,

in the way we miss the right turn but never lose our way.

 

We dance in kitchens like the floor is a map,

like we are tracing every road we’ve taken to get here.

Your hand in mine, spinning, spinning,

two bodies in motion, caught in their own gravity.


We get lost on backroads with the windows down,

your voice rising over the static of old songs on the radio,

and somehow, we always end up right where we’re meant to be.


Life speeds by, a blur of neon signs and headlights.

We are co-pilots in a world that never slows down,

navigating with nothing but instinct,

spinning worlds like roulette wheels,

chasing sunrises, chasing each other,

never needing a destination—only the ride.


And I know there will be rough roads,

days when the car breaks down, when the gas runs low,

when the rain makes it impossible to see what’s ahead.

But I also know you’ll be there, one hand on the wheel,

one hand reaching for mine,

telling me, like you always do,

“We’ve been through worse. We’ll figure it out.”


So, maybe you did break my heart.

And I broke yours.

But we never let it be the end of the story.

We kept driving, kept choosing, kept moving forward

Some loves are soft like slow-dancing,

but ours is wild—wind in our hair,

barefoot on the dashboard,

laughing too hard to breathe.

A love built on running toward something unseen,

on never needing to know where the road ends,

only that we’re taking it together.


We move like constellations—

orbiting, spinning, drawn back to each other.



Some loves are made for whispered words and stillness.

But ours is movement, momentum, a streak of light across the sky—

impossible to hold, impossible to stop. 


Maybe love isn’t about where you’re going,

but who’s in the passenger seat when you get there. 

Searching For Stars

By Lauren Nixon-Matney December 12, 2025
Television Series: Reba Carole King : So Far Away Reba : I'm a Survivor
By Lauren Nixon-Matney December 12, 2025
Dear Danny Go (and Mindy Mango), We weren’t looking for you—but somehow, you found us. It was in the recommended section on Happy Kids TV. Jaxon clicked on it for his sister Maggie, and just like that, something lit up in our living room. The colors, the energy, the fun costumes, the absolute joy of it all—we were hooked. Not just the kids. Jamie and I too. It didn’t take long before Danny Go! wasn’t just something our kids watched—it became something we danced to, sang along with, laughed through. Something that made us all feel lighter. There’s something rare and magical about a show that doesn’t just entertain your kids, but actually pulls you in too. For us, Danny Go! is that magic. Whether it’s “ The Floor is Lava ” or any of the countless jams we’ve rewatched again and again, it’s more than background noise—it’s an invitation. To move, to play, to be present. We’ve turned living rooms into obstacle courses, let loose in the kitchen, and found ourselves grinning and dancing when we thought we were too tired to do anything at all. It’s a way to reset a rough day, a cranky morning, or a bedtime full of wiggles . It’s become a happy place. At first, Danny Go! was just this bright, silly, joyful thing we all loved. But then I started learning more—about you, Daniel and Mindy, about your son Isaac, about the love and resilience at the heart of it all. And suddenly, it wasn’t just fun anymore. It was inspiring. The kind of inspiring that sinks in deep because you recognize something in it. I too know what it means to be moved by your children to do something that matters. In its essence Searching for Stars was born from that same place—wanting to create light because of the light our kids bring us every day. Knowing what Danny Go! came from—knowing the beauty and bravery behind it—just makes every song, every dance, every goofy costume feel even more meaningful. It’s not just a show. It’s a gift. Thank you so very much. For the joy. For the music and movement. For the way you’ve turned your story into something so bright and full of life. Thank you for making something that brings my kids happiness, and for letting that happiness spill over to the rest of us too. You’ve given us more than a show. You’ve given us a reason to dance when we’re tired, to laugh when we need it most, and to remember that play matters—maybe even more than we think. You remind us that joy is a kind of medicine, and that silly, colorful, creative love can be a force for good in the world. From one parent trying to build something inspired by their children to another: thank you for the light you’ve made. You’ve brightened our living room—and our hearts. With love and gratitude, Lauren
By Lauren Nixon-Matney December 12, 2025
Alt J : Breezeblocks
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