3 years? 4 years? It feels like forever really. We were constant companions. There were very few times when we weren’t together. And during those tough times of separation I was absolutely lost. Like an old man in a rowboat dropped smack dab in the middle of the Pacific… with no compass, no oars, bad arthritis, no heart medication, and I was terribly alone.

No, you didn’t just click a broken link and stumble onto some sad sap who’d just been dumped (first of all, broken links don’t’ happen here at Congruent Media) (second of all, one needs enough game to first be with a girl in order to then be dumped). I am talking of course about my iPod. Although I’ve become so attached to it I should probably reference it as a WePod, UsPod or YouCompleteMePod.

A few days ago (*trembling as I type this*) it gave me a major scare that had me re-evaluate my connection to this device, my priorities and my life (well, mostly just my connection to the iPod, but there is a valuable life lesson).

“You Had Me At Hello” – Jerry McGuire
(sort of)

Years ago, I sneered at the people bragging about their iPods. Their little white wires coming out of their cutesy white earpieces. “Why waste money on something like that?” I thought. I had my 3 phone-book-sized cd books…filled in completely random order… scattered throughout my house… or my car… maybe my work. They were SOMEWHERE where I could find them EVENTUALLY. Sure, there were some CDs under my car’s front seat… behind my stereo… in my couch cushions… such realities are life!! I couldn’t fathom ever needing one of those pompous, elitist devices.

Well, needless to say, a BestBuy gift certificate and a cheap, refurbished ipod was all it took. And I became firmly entrenched in a deep and committed iPod relationship. No matter what was happening in the world I know that in my pocket I had access to my Zappa bootlegs, my Tom Waits, my Gong and my old Howard Stern show mp3s. Like any relationship, it is a give and take- I provide the iPod a power supply (and great music) and it provides me with hours of musical joy every day. And also like any relationship, nothing is perfect (“men are from mars and women are from venus” right?). You have to make compromises – sure sometimes it freezes on me… new iTunes releases are sometimes a bit suspect… iTunes files are copy protected… I’ve had to return & replace it twice while under warrantee. But all of this is a small price to pay for the joy that it brings me. And like all relationships, there are some bumps in the road.

But this is what happened… last week my iPod died and wouldn’t start up and I feared that it’s played “Call Any Vegetable” for the last time.

“A relationship, I think, is like a shark, you know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark.” – Woody Allen

So I was looking into getting a replacement and I was talking to my buddy Tony. He’s got a different brand mp3 player. I’m always talking to people about music and musical devices so I asked him about his when I saw it in his car. All I heard when I asked about an mp3 player is “its an iPod” or “its ‘something-that’s-not-an-iPod’”. If it was the latter, I felt sorry for them.

“That poor guy” I thought. “He has one of 2 problems… either he knows he is stuck with an inferior mp3 player or the sap is too uninformed to realize how much better an iPod is!” This internal thought was often followed by wild guffaws of laughter (then uncomfortableness at the awkward stares I received).

So I humored Tony and asked him about his device. As he ran down the list of features I processed them in my standard way- either “iPods already have that” or “iPods don’t have it, but why would anyone need it?”. He predictably ran through a few features of his player that iPods also have (as I mocked him internally). Then he said a few more things.

“Bigger screen than the iPod” – wha?

“FM Tuner” – dag. I’ve always wished I could get the radio on my iPod.

“Subscription service for unlimited music” – grrrrrrrr

I tried to rationalize my envy by thinking I was like Clark Griswald being wooed by the Ferrari-driving Christie Brinkley in the original (and only, in my opinion) Vacation. Sure, his mp3 player was sexy, exciting and tempting. But the iPod is my Beverly D’Angelo. Solid. Not drop-dead gorgeous, but easy on the eyes. (mostly)Dependable. The mother of my children- Rusty and Audrey (scratch that). Let’s face it, my life partner. I couldn’t stray from someone that’s done so much for me, could I? Or is it possible that in addition to my iPod's death, that a piece of my heart died? The piece that has fueled my blind love for this device.

“Don’t hate the playa – Hate the game.” – Many of my Ex-Girlfriends (*sob*)

Well, the good news after 2 solid days of charging, my iPod is back to life (although still having blackout fits). So what did I decide? I’ve decided to become an mp3 player bigamist. I checked out Napster and Rhapsody (unlimited monthly music subscription services) and I MUST HAVE THEM. (well one or the other). They offer not only the standard rock music but a great selection of Jazz/Classical/International, too. Stuff I feel like I’ve only barely listened too. There's so much to explore. I’m sure once I get used to having that RIDICULOUS amount of music at my disposal I won’t be able to live without THAT (until something even better inevitably comes along in a few years/months/days).

In short, I’ve opened my mind and gotten over my iPod fanboy attitude.

“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible”- Frank Zappa.

And here’s the lesson, and I think it also applies to business, relationships and life in general… you can’t be afraid of change. Or even better: Its foolish to let “fear of change” be the obstacle that keeps you from bettering your own situation. The ONLY way to better ones self/situation is by taking that first step. Every minute of every day we are constantly thinking… thinking becomes movement … movement becomes action … action becomes experiencing… experiencing becomes learning… learning becomes evolving… and evolving is LIVING. So that’s what life is all about- that first step towards change.

Live(step) well! 

-Eric