WITFV11/12: Music and my iPod

I want to give thanks today (and yesterday) for music. Music is an important part of who I am. I don't know what I would do without it.

From the time I was very small, I've always loved music. I'm pretty sure that I inherited this from my parents, even if I didn't inherit the taste in music that they would have liked me to at the time. But now, I think that they like to know what I'm listening to because my tastes have certainly changed and matured over the last 28 years. Not only that, but I have a strong appreciation for where the music of today has evolved from and over time, I've come to appreciate the work of early musical pioneers.

I've extolled the virtues of Apple's products before, but I don't know if there's anything that has helped me to realize my adoration for music quite like my iPod. I can carry almost all of my music with me on my 20GB 1st generation iPod brick OR I can use complex algorithms to fill my ipod shuffle randomly and just see what comes up. Sometimes I really like that randomness. It's like I have my own radio station that only plays the songs that I like, but doesn't discriminate styles like a normal radio station would.

You see, I want a soundtrack to my life. Woudn't it be totally cool to have a soundtrack that played in your head and helped to indicate when you should be happy, sad, melancholy, scared, etc.? I would love that.

Soundtracks are important, particularly in movies. Sometimes, they can have a dramatic effect on whether I really like a movie or not. And when I love a movie, there's a high likelihood that I'll buy the soundtrack too, just to re-live those moments captured on film. One of the most poignant I can remember in recent years is from the movie Almost Famous when Billy Crudup's character gets back on the bus with his band and Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" comes over the bus radio. It serves as a cleansing reminder to those on the bus that life is too short to hold on to grudges or to harbor ill will. Such a great scene.

What's so great about music is that it can serve so many purposes. Not only can it entertain on its own, but it can further enhance an existing situation if the music fits the moment. That's what music is to me. It's a seasoning that further enhances the flavor of life.

And for that seasoning, I'm thankful.