The Sound of Music

Whenever I go to the supermarket, it's always boneless, skinless chicken breast that finds its way to my cart.  While there is an option for chicken thighs or chicken breast with the bone in, I choose to spend my money on the best I can get to eat.  You pay a premium for that, of course.  It's much the same with my sneakers.  The way I see it, you really want to spend money on the best that's out there for something you spend so much time in.  I'm just back from my walk, and though my feet and my legs are tired and sore, I know I'm looking after them with good footwear.  The same goes for my bed.  It was worth all the money I spent on it.  So, while there is plenty of stuff that I'll happily put the money out there for, what I won't spend money on is a brand-name label on the front of my sweatshirt.  I don't need to be a walking billboard for someone's designer name, though you see that kind of stuff all the time.  When I walk, my clothes are comfortable, warm when they need to be, and they need to have the qualities suitable for a long, daily workout.  The other must is my music so you can imagine my horror when after almost a year, my earbuds gave out.  Halfway through my walk this morning, one side gave out.  My music was reduced to a faint sound.  I knew I needed a new set of headphones.  The only ones that really appealed to me were an expensive set.  I wondered if it was necessary, but I took them just the same.  As I walked this evening, the first thing I discovered was that the wire was much shorter on this set so I couldn't walk with the MP3 player in my hand.  It had to go in my pocket.  How annoying, I thought, but I didn't let it get me down.  Then I turned it on.  All I can say is WOW!  The sound was unbelievable.  My music never sounded like that--ever.  It sounded just like being in a concert hall and hearing the performance--live.  Actually, I've never been to a concert so I shouldn't be so quick to make that comparison.  I could have walked all night.  I think I did.  I wanted to hear all 173 songs the way they were meant to be heard, but of course I only made it through some of them.  I will hear more tomorrow morning.  How interesting, I never thought that spending money on something like headphones could make all the difference to something that I thought was so simple.  My wallet will remain open to such new things just as my head will be.