Music Memories

Quick update on my leg…I’m doing much better.  X-rays were taken and the orthopedic doctor says my knees look great.  No arthritis, etc.  The issue is muscular, as in a badly strained muscle in my calf.  So I’ve been stretching and icing, and still working out but doing a modified program on leg days.

I have always worked out to music and have many playlists based on what the activity is.  Even when I'm with my trainer, if there is no one else in the studio, I can put on my own music while we work out (I work out at kind of an odd time so often it’s just him and me).  I have a playlist that has my current favorites on it, but it’s gotten kind of stale because I keep forgetting to update it. Lately, the poor guy has just had to put up with hearing the same stuff over and over. He has a lot of patience and humors me, I think because I am old.  

Yesterday I was getting ready to work out and I noticed on my iTunes on my phone that there is a playlist called “25 most played songs.”  I didn't even look to see what was on it, because I figured since I’ve played the songs so many times, I must like them all.  So I took pity on Trainer Steve and figured whatever was there would be a change of pace for both of us.  Turns out that playlist included songs that I listened to before I even had an iPhone!   From way back when I got my first iPod, when iPods weighed more than an iPhone does now.   At first I was a little creeped out, because I was thinking, how does my iPhone know what I listened to on my iPod?  But then I realized it makes sense, because it’s iTunes on your computer that keeps track of how many times you play a song. 

We’re talking about songs from 2003!  Back then I was walking long distances frequently, sometimes 10 miles at a time, and listening to music made walking so much easier and enjoyable.   Then in 2004, we got Buster.  In his prime, between 2005 and 2012, he and I went on some epic walks. You’ve never seen a dog that could walk like he could and he was always such an enthusiastic walking partner!  It was our special time together, and I always listened to music while we walked. 

Music memories are so powerful.  Have you ever heard an old song come on the radio and suddenly, you were transported back in time and you know exactly where you were or what was going on in your life when that song was popular?  Some songs just touch you or even punch you in the gut.  So some of those songs on that “25 most played” playlist really brought back bittersweet memories of my walks with B.  

My current Facebook profile photo is a picture I took of Buster at the park in late October, when the trees were gorgeous red and the weather was perfect.  (I posted a similar one here soon after he died.)  The picture on the left is from one of those silly tests you take on FB.  In this test they proposed to turn my profile picture into an “art piece.”  I do a lot of these for fun but never post them on my FB because the results are usually stupid.  But this one I took a screen shot of the result because it really was very nice...that's Buster in the lower left corner. 

I realize I am at risk of sounding like the "Crazy Dog Lady," but I haven't changed my FB profile picture since he died in November because I’m still missing him a lot, and the thought of changing it seemed disloyal.  But it is getting better and I'm more at the stage of feeling wistful about him, rather than devastated.  I think this picture kind of reflects that feeling.

So I think the next stage of moving on will be to change my FB profile picture.  I just need to figure out what to replace it with.