Celebrations

Another birthday has come and gone, with the outcome that we are now a complete mp3 family! We now all have our own players, able to choose our own music to listen to without annoying others with songs which are not universally appreciated. If we were owners of the name brand player, you would say we were like peas in a pod.... but while it is great to be able to go running and listen to some music or a downloaded radio program, there is a noted downside or two:
* Many conversations begin with the first sentence repeated on more than one occasion as the listener is de-plugged from the player in order to plug into the conversation. This can have a significant dampening effect on spontaneous conversation.
* The place of silence is lost. While an mp3 player does disconnect you from interaction with many things, it still deafens you to the inner thoughts and promptings which can only be heard in the silence. The power of silence to let a thought seep into the deepest parts of being cannot be overstated. We do well to simply "be still" and immerse ourselves in the sounds of life which are around us, and simply listen.
* Download limits are being tested... with everyone wanting their own music, the bandwidth is being stretched. Being shaped back to dialup is a reminder of what we once took for granted as great news!