I didn’t think I wanted an iPod. People next to me on the train closed their eyes and seemed to disappear into other worlds, accessible only through the white wires dangling from their ears. Their isolation seemed almost sad to me.
Besides, I liked listening to what was going on around me. I wanted to hear the two middle-aged men behind me talk about Michael Jackson’s trial or what a woman my age was saying excitedly into her cell phone.
Then one day on my way to work I got stuck behind a woman loudly describing her gym routine for five stops, and I realized some conversations are not worth overhearing.
I splurged and bought an iPod shuffle.
Encouraged by the Shuffle’s tag line, “Life is random,” I envisioned making my way to work through underground tunnels and side streets while bouncing between Beyonce and Joss Stone.
Somehow, my iPod would read my mind and know what I needed to hear to either rev me up for an intense day or calm me down after a frustrating one.
My iPod was going to be my friend; my active commuting companion. I might be cutting myself off from the world, but at least I would be distracted from the monotony of my commute.
It turns out I underestimated my new toy.
My iPod didn’t just energize or relax me; it took me to a whole new spiritual zone. Like yoga or meditation, listening to music while stuck between strangers on a train reminded me that a whole other world existed besides the one I was trying to navigate, and as a result, it made every annoyance seem a little less important.
If that sounds overly heavy for an mp3 player, consider this: Sprinting down the stairs for a train only to find the doors closing as soon as you reach the platform becomes almost comical when Will Smith’s rapping about dancing in a club and telling you to turn around, like he does on his new single “Switch.”
And cramming yourself into the last space on a train between strangers you would normally prefer to be several feet away from isn’t so anxiety-inducing when Akon’s lamenting about being locked up in jail–at least your doors will open again in two minutes.
Music doesn’t always have to take you away from a bad place–sometimes it amplifies the positive. Fleeting eye contact with a cute stranger feels like the start of a torrid affair when Ciara’s “Goodies” is your background music.
Sometimes, the music doesn’t even have to match the moment. At any time of day, hearing Nelly snaps me out of the drudgery of whatever I’m working on and makes me want to dance. Deadlines and the next five phone calls I have to make are shoved to the back of my mind.
Gwen Stefani’s fantasies about what she’d do with a lot of money in “Rich Girl” inspire daydreams about living in a huge house on the ocean and drinking cocktails all day long, even if reality is a windowless cubicle. Not to mention Destiny’s Child “Soldier”–it makes you move your hips even before coffee at seven in the morning.
Those dangling white wires, I now realize, are not just for music lovers who want to drown out loud talkers.
They’re also for people looking to transcend the banality of a morning commute and get perspective on frustrating moments.
In other words, iPods are the new vacation.
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