Christmas 2019, my husband bought us a record player. In January, we traveled to Tacoma to see old friends I had not visited in 23 years. In my mind, both things go together because old friends and old music offer a particular kind of comfort.
There is a friendship that can exist in bits and pieces. Time and space separate you, but when you get together, conversations resume and shared memories flow. Such friendships need to be protected as a delicate flower or an unusual species. To be in the presence of those who knew you at another time in life, accepted you then, and still value your friendship is a precious treasure. To bask in the presence of old friends is an emotional balm.
Revisiting old music is similar. For years, our LP collection sat in our living room with no possibility of being heard. Getting the turntable and hearing music that had been dormant in our house for too long was like visiting old friends and getting reacquainted all over again. As I listened to the guitarist John Williams play his rendition of "Streets of London" and "Holland Park", I remembered enjoying these very tunes decades ago...and it was a pleasure to find that my enjoyment had not diminished with the passage of time.
The warm embrace of old friends and old music needs to be savored again and again.
I'm Frances Jaegerand this is my perspective.
