Driving back from lunch today, my wife discovered a blank CD in her folder.? We put it in and literally went on a kaleidoscope ride back through 2004.? It was a CD I had made back then with songs we haven’t listened to much since then.? Song after song brought back photos in my mind of trips we took, dates we had, Sea World, Disneyland . . . Music has a hedonic component.? It can triggers memories like a scent or the feel of a beloved piece of clothing.
I wouldn’t pick these somgs to put on a CD today.? One song is by a group I found when scouring Amazon for new bands (I was trying to get “hip” with the times).? It’s a song that never made the top 40, but it was special to our family because we played it over and over whenever we were in my Jeep.? Other songs included tunes I liked before we were married, ie: John Mayer’s “I’m Tired of Bein Alone,” and R.E.M.’s “Departure.”? As I listened I remembered how I was then.? Of course I’m the same guy now, but I can recall and SEE who I was then as separate from now.? My CD’s are different now.? I mostly listen to radio, because it’s more convenient.
As I listened I got this blog idea, the idea that we are changing people along the course of our lives.? Sometimes we are hard on ourselves.? Listening to these amazing songs coming home, I had to kiss my wife with a bit of a tear in my eye.? As we progress through life, we need to remember that we are unique, and great, and important, and fleeting.? We should never take the moment for granted, because in a glimmer, it’s lost in the past . . .
Lucky for me today, I found?a bit of myself in a folder.
Hi. I'm Damien Riley, MA.
