I know that the technology has been available for a long time with mix tapes and mix CDs, but something about the way MP3 players harness a person's favorite songs in one place, to be listened to in one sitting, or one walk, or one anything, can be overwhelming. It's like cramming every gut-wrenching emotion—from ecstasy to melancholy—a person has ever felt into just a few hours. That's a lot of power in one place.I bought a cheap BUSlink MP3 player a few months ago. It holds about a hundred songs and while I'm unimpressed with the navigation and few of the other "features," I love the portability, the quality of sound, and the ability to carry so many my favorite songs in my pocket to listen to whenever I want to. I've transferred a lot of songs from my CD collection to my MP3 player and I've started to download new songs when I like them rather than buying an entire CD. It's so much cheaper.
I just have to make sure that I mix in worship music and some light-hearted songs so I don't get out of balance. I'm the type of person whose mood is heavily influenced by the music I listen to, so I have to be careful, but as long as I am, I'm finding my MP3 player to be one of the most enjoyable toys I've purchased in a long time.
