This morning's paddle I flew solo and Rainbow was nice enough to lend me her waterproof gear so I can listen to music. The wind picked up early and the conditions were a bit choppy and not too ideal for paddling. Paddling alone is at times boring and depending on the conditions brutal. Then there is the threat of sea creatures. Listening to music subsides some of the pain and fear and also helps me from thinking too much. A few months ago I bought a Shuffle with the sole intent of filling it with music I can exercise to. I rationalized in my head that my other iPods were too bulky carry and there was just too much of a music selection. At first I was excited and filled my Shuffle with great music to help push me to the extra mile. As the months went on I somehow got lazy. My Shuffle turned into a dumping ground for cheesy songs that would get stuck in my head and that I've heard a bazillion times, but had the need to listen to.
On my way back from El Porto the song "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" came on and in any other circumstance I would have been happy to listen to it. The song is about dying, love, etc and I absolutely love it. Just not at that particular moment. I had another 2.5 - 3 miles to paddle and all I could say to myself was "seriously??? This is your idea of a motivating song". Instead of being psyched and energized to keep paddling I found myself wanting to crawl back into to bed and hide underneath the covers. This got me thinking about the importance of creating a solid playlist and the music we select to put into our iPods. Everyone has their own taste and music that fires me up may not necessarily apply to someone else.
For me my playlists are personal and I create them depending on my mood or for special occasions. I use to work with this guy and he would always know which head space I was in depending on the music I was listening to. However, creating a playlist on iTunes is a little different than putting music on a Shuffle. iTunes allows me the freedom to choose a particular playlist to listen to and the Shuffle is one HUGE playlist. As if the name "Shuffle " wasn't obvious enough I still somehow forgot this minor detail. Bad data in equals bad data out. So often it has happened that I am tired, sucking wind and need a song to push me to keep going, then the lyrics "cherish, cherish" come on. I'm cursing myself and Madonna for writing a song about mermen (well the video had mermen). I can't push the button fast enough to shuffle to the next song before the last bit of energy is sucked out of me. My only hope is the next song will help push me to the next mile and then Norah Jones comes on. It's all down hill from there.
On my way back from El Porto the song "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" came on and in any other circumstance I would have been happy to listen to it. The song is about dying, love, etc and I absolutely love it. Just not at that particular moment. I had another 2.5 - 3 miles to paddle and all I could say to myself was "seriously??? This is your idea of a motivating song". Instead of being psyched and energized to keep paddling I found myself wanting to crawl back into to bed and hide underneath the covers. This got me thinking about the importance of creating a solid playlist and the music we select to put into our iPods. Everyone has their own taste and music that fires me up may not necessarily apply to someone else.
For me my playlists are personal and I create them depending on my mood or for special occasions. I use to work with this guy and he would always know which head space I was in depending on the music I was listening to. However, creating a playlist on iTunes is a little different than putting music on a Shuffle. iTunes allows me the freedom to choose a particular playlist to listen to and the Shuffle is one HUGE playlist. As if the name "Shuffle " wasn't obvious enough I still somehow forgot this minor detail. Bad data in equals bad data out. So often it has happened that I am tired, sucking wind and need a song to push me to keep going, then the lyrics "cherish, cherish" come on. I'm cursing myself and Madonna for writing a song about mermen (well the video had mermen). I can't push the button fast enough to shuffle to the next song before the last bit of energy is sucked out of me. My only hope is the next song will help push me to the next mile and then Norah Jones comes on. It's all down hill from there.
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