It’s been 8 months since my last post. I guess there is something about winter that inspires me to write since I am indoors more and spend extra time reflecting on my life and the choices that I make. So what inspired me specifically to jump back on here to write today? This weekend my mama surprised our family with an early Christmas gift (which I may have hinted at wanting…)- a record player along with 4 old school records. Yesterday, I set it up and carefully unveiled the sleek LP from its yellowed sleeve to see if my vintage dream would sound as good as I had envisioned. Sure enough, the sound came through the speaker and felt richer and deeper, an almost tangible experience. Maybe it is the crackling imperfections that elevated the music but I also wonder if having to put in a little extra effort was what made the experience that much more satisfying.
These days, we have less and less expected of us in terms of getting what we want, when we want it. If you are like me, you did most of your holiday shopping on your phone while sitting on the couch and now have a consistent stream of brown boxes arriving at your doorstep. You can order your groceries online and have them delivered. Many people don’t even have to put their key into the ignition and instead simply touch a button to start their cars (I am quite happy to have a 2013 Honda CRV that still expects me to provide a satisfying turn of the hand to start her engine and hope that this whole button thing is a passing car industry phase). A couple years ago, we got a wood burning stove for our living room. When we met with the company to decide on a stove, they tried to convince us to get a pellet stove instead, saying how much simpler it would be. Less work to have a fire and no messy wood to deal with. We assured them that we did indeed want the wood burning stove and all the wood stacking and hard work that came with it. Not once have I regretted our decision. Forcing myself to go out into the cold and filling my arms with as much wood as I can carry is part of what makes the warm and cozy fire that much more enjoyable. Taking the 10 minutes to start a fire forces me to slow down and be in the moment (so that I don’t burn my damn house down). Making a fire is chock-full of sensory experiences- the smell of smoke and dried out wood, the feel of the handle as I open and close the stove door, the sight of the flames eating away at the newspaper, the crackling popping as the wood catches. When I build a fire, I am reminded of all the people before me that have built fires for ages for many different reasons, for survival and for celebration. It makes me feel connected to generations past in a way that modern conveniences never will.
Back to how this relates to my new record player. These days, whatever music you want to hear is only one vocal demand away: “Alexa, play my Taylor Swift playlist”. No more trip to Best Buy to search the stacks of CDs for your favorite artist’s new album that you would listen to front to back while following along the lyrics in the attached booklet. Not a single finger needs lifting to listen to whatever you desire and while that should be all we could ever want, there seems to be something lost in the process. Maybe it is the extra effort while also being intentional about what record I am choosing to play that makes for a more visceral experience. Records have limits which is another thing lacking in today’s society. I am forcing myself to be patient by listening from the beginning to the end instead of jumping to my favorite song. There is something to be said for not getting everything we’ve ever wanted right here and now.
Last month, we went from a 2 car family to a single car family. At first we assumed we would have to get another vehicle because that’s what we’ve been used to for the last 10 years, but then I stopped to think and realized we could probably make it work. Will there be times that we are limited by what we can do now that we only have 1 car? Absolutely. My husband had an all day disc golf tournament the other day and I was surprised to find myself relieved to be stuck at home with the kids. We think of limits as limiting in a negative way but really, limits can make life more simple. I didn’t have to decide what we should do that day because I knew we were going to be home all day. It took the choice away from me and we ended up having a great time. Of course I won’t always feel that way but for now it feels good to make do with what we have instead of feeling entitled to the idea that we should have 2 cars do whatever the hell we want to do whenever we want to do it.
MAKE THE DAMN BED 