Saturday, July 30, 2016

Laughing Through Tears




I'm taking a moment here to remember when I had to say good-bye to a very dear old friend a few months ago...and then to laugh at myself just a little. 
Oprah used to call it "The Ugly Cry". The one where your eyes, nose...really your whole face...turn beet red. That's why I'm posting this picture in black and white instead of color. I really don't want you to see my red eyes and red nose in color. Wild Bill was kind enough to take these three pictures while I paused to commemorate a passing a few months ago.

Here's my old friend...a 1993 version of the World's Biggest, Oldest (and Continuously-Used) Combination Radio, 10-CD and Cassette Tape Player Boom Box. "He" was a big expenditure back then for a single mom, and my youngest daughter (a savvy 13 year old then) had to talk me into venturing into the new world of CD's as I clung to my cassette tapes! I sure got my money's worth with this one...
Man, I miss that big guy!  "He" shared my love for T. Graham Brown's Bumper-To-Bumper CD ("we" had three copies of it, just in case one wore out) and he (unlike some of the other family members) never objected to playing it over and over for me. 

Through the years, all the greats hung out with us...T-Graham, Roy Orbison, Billy Ray, Willy...they all sounded better on this old guy. 

Trying to entice me away from my beloved boom box, Wild Bill bought me two or three new ones over the last 20 years that we've been married, along with a few I-Pods and such. But I just couldn't give my first love up. Those other CD players? They were too flashy with strobe lights that kept me awake - or they held too few CD's - so up in the closet they went.
I continued to stick with my good friend. That is, until a few months ago, when my CD's started warbling when this old guy was playing them. I knew it was time, but still I left him on the kitchen counter for two days, occasionally trying yet another time to see if the warbling problem had cleared up. Finally, Wild Bill joined me in a brief and tearful (on my part, not Bill's...he was doing the happy dance in his mind I'm sure) little ceremony as I said a final farewell.

Wild Bill snapped these three pictures during my tearful good-bye, then we quickly left before the garbage truck came to do the pickup. I just couldn't watch. Those other CD players are still up in the closet waiting. I'm in mourning after all. 

I hope this post convinces you to let go of a few old things that might be clogging up your life too. Just bite the bullet and do it. 



Thanks for dropping by!







15 comments:

  1. Sorry you had to let go of something special dear to you ♥

    summerdaisy.net

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  2. Oh my gosh girl, I thought you were mourning the loss of a dear (real) friend. lol! You gave me a good laugh this morning. I can relate to playing something over and over again. Growing up one of my sisters and I played the record, Tammy over and over again. One day our frustrated sister took it and put it on our old heater. It melted slightly and sounded wobbly when we played it. It slowed us down, but we didn't stop. lol!
    hugs,
    Jann

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  3. Jann, I cracked up that warping didn't stop you playing that record. I have no idea why I was so attached to that old boom box. But that's not all that I have that's been around for a long, long time. Glad to know there are others like me in this world.

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  4. I too thought you were mourning the loss of person.
    You got us all on that one!! : )

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  5. Rivercrest Cottage,
    Parting is such sweet sorrow, dear friend!
    Too, too cute!
    Bless Wild Bill's heart for taking photos of your post!
    Over the past three years, I've been editing and saying "good~bye" to many items myself!
    Ah~h~h. . .it feels good!
    Fondly,
    Pat

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  6. When our CD player went I replaced it with 2 not nearly so good small ones, but mostly I just listen to my MP3 player.

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  7. I find it very touching that you couldn't part with your CD player. Although I must admit that I've never been overly attached to any electronics.
    I'm still working on getting rid of stuff but I can feel that I'm improving. I hang onto stuff because I'm afraid I will need it or that I could sell it or that I could make something out of it or....
    But really, I'm getting better.
    I must agree though that the stuff with sentimental attachments, is the hardest to part with.
    XOXOXO

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    1. Cindi, we are SISTAS. Every reason you list is the same for me. Especially "I could make something with this!" I am currently banning myself from buying anything and then donating something each time I think I might buy something. I think the Boom Box was a sentimental attachment to that period of time when I finally left a bad 20-year marriage and actually bought something for myself. A "I am woman hear me roar" moment.

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  8. You certainly had me for a moment thinking you were mourning a true friend (person) We have just recently had a big clear out, some things were indeed very hard to let go.

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  9. Ha ha ha--you had me! I use to have a boom box too!

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  10. What a cute post. Can you email me at katiemansfield423@gmail.com? I have a question for you about a fall blog hop.

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  11. This was just too funny, thanks for the chuckle this afternoon! But I can feel your pain as I too have struggled over the years saying goodbye to loved belongings...and that says a lot considering I'm a former professional organizer whose motto is purge purge purge.
    Marie, The Interior Frugalista

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  12. brilliant post, really made me chuckle!

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  13. hahhaa....you crack me up, girlfriend...

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  14. The trouble is, it's not usually worth the cost of a repairman looking at CD players. And STILL the tape playback and radio work... Best few quid I spent in recent years was an MP3 player - I've got about 1600 of my favourite tracks on it and it plugs into the music centre in the house, the car - and its own little speaker for trips away. Sorry, just stumbled into your blog..!

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