Have you ever spent more than a minute carefully choosing the three songs that will take you from home to the gym? As if somehow, those three songs will set the tone for the next ten minutes, hour, or even the rest of the day. And when you choose the wrong songs, set the wrong tone, you’re screwed. Or, maybe a better example, sitting down in front of the tv and then wasting 45 minutes just trying to decide what movie to watch. A movie that you will inevitably pause when someone falls asleep because you took too long to make a decision.
Decisions are exhausting. All day we make ones that matter. By the time arbitrary decisions need to be made, we’re fatigued. The reality is that almost any movie, any song, would be good enough. The choice is the problem. And for me, the radio is the solution. Handing over a trivial decision gives me a greater capacity to focus on the bigger, heavier ones. Listening to the radio is my practice in releasing control on a small scale. I let the powers at be decide my fate and I’m very rarely disappointed.
I’m not going to sit here and act like I’m a genius who discovered the radio. I’m a gen-z ditz who drove a 2007 ford without bluetooth and boo-hoo’d my way to the world of morning talk shows and divorce lawyer ads because I’m incapable of sitting in silence. And when it comes to my generation, radio is dying. One might even say it’s in the trash. I, as the spokesperson of my generation (as voted by me) am moving radio into the recycling bin. I am joyfully relinquishing one, tiny choice and handing the power back to my favorite radio host (Will Pendarvis of 99X).
Since rekindling my love for radio, specifically of the mainstream alt-rock variety, I’ve listened to songs I love, songs I don’t love, and a lot of songs in between. Also for some reason, ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn’ plays a lot. But for every win and miss, it’s not on me. We don’t get to relinquish responsibility often. So take advantage of that freedom where you can. Give yourself a chance to leave something up to chance.
And maybe start listening to 99X, where ‘Everlong’ is probably playing right now.
