Last night I had a crazy dream that I was floating through space, apparently using my house as some sort of space station as I slowly drifted toward the Martian frontier. Meteors passed like cars outside the window as the earth gradually shrunk from view. My iPod was floating by, so I grabbed it and put my headphones on. Not knowing how long the journey would take, I came across an appropriate song – David Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ and settled in for the journey. “…this is Major Tom to Ground Control…” the lyrics say – how fitting. Amidst all of this space weirdness, I was chilling out on a red-hot micro suede bean bag, the Chofa for Two.
But don’t worry, I’m not about to pull out the dream interpretation books or start analyzing my childhood. I already know what this dream means to me. It means that no matter where I am in life, one of my favorite things to do is hunker down at home and listen to music. Whether I’m worn out from an endless to-do list or happy and satisfied after a great meal with friends, the respite of good tunes and a comfortable seat always puts me at ease. And I’m not the only one to indulge in this music-centric way of relaxing. I think that everyone can probably remember a time when they drew the blinds and sat down to listen to some tunes with no purpose other than to enjoy themselves, and it’s probably safe to say that these memories are most likely good ones. That’s the thing about this process: it’s universal.
But it ain’t always easy. Sure, you can close the blinds and press ‘play’ on the iPod. You might even have a new album that you can’t wait to listen to. The stage is set and you’re ready, yet you find yourself squirming on the couch, agonized by the thought of a hundred other things you should be doing. You crank up the volume and pace around the kitchen, trying to burn off the nervous energy. When that doesn’t work you try changing the music — a procedure that only kills time. What’s missing? It’s like an almost perfect soup recipe that you keep tasting over and over again because you’ve added all the main ingredients but it still doesn’t taste right (if we were actually talking about soup I would suggest trying a splash of apple cider vinegar, it brings a dead soup back to life!).
So you’ve got the privacy, the stereo, and the time, but where’s the mood? There’s a crucial element missing that will transform your experience from sitting in a room with a noisy stereo to drifting down a river of musical relaxation. No, it’s not a magical Hawaiian idol or a powerful healing crystal, and it’s not even a pimped-out sound system. It’s a simple, stylish, and comfortable bean bag chair filled with shredded memory foam. With the missing piece in place, I suggest you put your headphones on and turn down the lights and relax on that comfortable oversized bean bag chair. I think you’ll find that the mood is finally just right.
