For Christmas this year, I was given a record player. Wassup! It was one of those "didn't really ask for it" but was kind of secretly wanting one, and was extremely surprised Christmas mornin' to discover this beautiful wonder with a big red bow waiting for me.
After moving back to school this week, one of the first things my gracious roommate and I did was move a few things around (feng shui, anyone?) and voila! Instant record player space in our living room. Now, I don't know how many of you guys still listen to your old 45s, but for those of us who grew up in the iPod generation the concept of a record player is a new one. You have to slowly let down the needle onto the vinyl (as my mother explicitly instructed) after carefully placing your poison onto the turntable. You have to get up halfway through to flip to side two. In all respects, listening to records is more of a hassle than most would want to put up with.
And perhaps, the "hassle" is half the fun. Something about this record player falls nicely into thoughts that have been floating around my head lately about learning to take things slow, learning to work harder or to wait a little longer for something good. I don't think we realize how sped-up our lifestyles are, how everything is built for "convenience" or "for those on the go." Turn on the tube and just listen to the number of references that commercials make to how much easier their products will make your life. We learn (from society) that if it takes longer than five minutes to make or five days to get here then it's not even worth it. All of this is so contrary to the teachings of the Bible about patience! Life's not about getting through it; life's about enjoying these moments... About catching fireflies... About making homemade pizzas... About listening to music.
Last night as I curled up in our newly relocated armchair, I simply sat and listened to the music fill the room. For once, it was not background noise.
"Further Up, Further In, and Farther Along."
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